Hazy
by Ra'Zara The First
Summary: Life had fallen into an easy rhythm for the Davenport family after the events that destroyed The Arm of Raziel. However, just when things were comfortable, Douglas' past comes back to haunt them all. Whatever it brings, nothing will be the same... (Rated T for Cussing and demons. Whole family involved. Offshoot of the Hybrid series.)
1. Chapter 1

**Holy crap! More Hellcat stories!**

**Woohoo!**

**Well, guess what? This one's a chapter story. :O**

**It'll likely be shorter than the original trilogy, but here it is. :D Another difference is that Adam will be more of the focus here. **

**"****Wait, wait, wait: I ****_made_**** this series, bitch! You're not going to focus on me?!"**

**Shut up, Hellcat. You'll still be involved.**

**"…****I will? Carry on, then."**

**…****Anyways…**

**Heads up: It's rated T for a reason: Cussing, lewd commentary, demons, so on. If you haven't read any of the ****_Hybrid _****series – and, less importantly, the one shot ****_Hangover –_**** you'll be lost. The National Guard won't find you. Ever. You'll be one of those missing persons that's presumed dead.**

**Kinda.**

**Oh well.**

**Anywho, if you get a bit lost, you might want to re-read chapter five of ****_Hunter._**** I might have mentioned how the Lab Rats came to be motherless with Douglas there. And, here, we explore it more. Woo!**

**So let's get on with it! Hmm…Douglas?**

**"****Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

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><p><em>"<em>_Do one thing every day that scares you." _

**Eleanor Roosevelt**

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><p><em>"<em>_A winning effort begins with preparation."_

**Joe Gibbs**

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><p><strong>Ra'Zara the First proudly presents<strong> **_Hazy._**

**_Douglas_**

Stupid business suit.

He looked like a crotchety, stuck-up asshat. A sexy asshat, but an asshat, nonetheless. As awesome as he was, he just wasn't at home on an actual stage when it mattered what he said. Usually, he could do what he wanted. Today, though, he couldn't. Everything he did reflected on Davenport Industries and, by proxy, his very _job._

He fidgeted a bit, wishing for what had to be the twentieth time that Yahn had been allowed to come. The little imp liked to stay in his pocket as a mouse or gerbil when Douglas was anxious. It may have been a small thing - and, honestly, a bit childish - but Douglas missed being able to pet Yahn to soothe himself. Nothing like a childhood guardian to calm one's nerves, right? But Donnie had insisted that no demons accompanied them, so Yahn had stayed in the crowd with the rest of the family.

It made little sense to Douglas. Oly was his mischief buddy. Yahn was more of an advisor. More than that, he was a reassuring familiarity in intimidating situations.

Donald nudged Douglas with his elbow while straightening his tie. "Hold still," he hissed, keeping his voice low. "We're speaking to investors, not kings."

"A _couple hundred_ investors," Douglas countered immediately. "And I've yelled at the queen of England before. I'd take that over this in a heartbeat."

Donnie glanced at him, eyes wide. "You _yelled_ at the queen of England?!"

"Got deported, too," Douglas responded.

"When was _this?"_

Douglas smirked a bit. "I was twenty-three. Not sure if I can legally visit England now, so consider that before you plan a business trip to London or something like that."

Donald sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head slightly. "For the love of..."

Douglas bit back a laugh as a random stagehand approached them. He was visibly stressed, undoubtedly driven mad by the effort to ensure that everything ran smoothly. "You two are next," he informed them, looking at a clipboard. "Just wait until your names are announced before you go out. And put these on." The man shoved two little clip on microphones into Douglas' hands. Then, without a single wish of luck - or any courtesy, really - the man turned and almost ran away, anxiously searching for the next victim as Donald took one of the devices from Douglas' hand.

Douglas felt a fresh wave of nerves overtake him as he clipped his microphone to his lapel. What if he messed up? What if they didn't like the idea? What if no one funded them?

He was going to be sick. Where was an open bar when he needed it? A shot of whiskey for courage would've been _great_ right then.

Donald gently brought his hand down on Douglas' shoulder, causing him to jump a bit. "You'll be fine," he assured. "How many times have you annoyed the kids to practice this presentation?"

They now avoided Douglas like he carried the plague. Chase even mouthed along when he had the misfortune of being caught without an escape route. Douglas nodded slowly. He could do this.

He was Douglas.

He could do this!

From the stage, Douglas heard a muffled announcement: "Now, representing Davenport Industries, please welcome Donald and Douglas Davenport!"

He couldn't do this!

However, as the crowd broke into polite applause, Donnie was pressing his hand hard into the hollow between Douglas' shoulders. "Behave," he hissed between his teeth, but his grin never faltered as he discreetly pushed his younger brother on stage.

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><p><em>"<em>_If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance."_

**George Bernard Shaw**

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><p><em>"<em>_A people without the knowledge of their history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots."_

**Marcus Garvey**

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><p><strong><em>Chase<em>**

Douglas was _pale._

Muffled laughing sounded from my shirt pocket, followed by a quiet observation. "Master looks ready to piss himself!"

"Be nice, Oly," I whispered back, fighting down an inappropriate laugh at her comment. She was right, of course: Douglas looked like he had no business being on stage.

Maybe he wasn't as great at acting as he thought he was. Public speaking sure seemed to be a problem.

Tasha gently nudged me with her elbow, shushing me. Making sure that I looked chastised, I turned my full focus back to the stage. Now that the applause was dying down, Mr. Davenport was taking his place at center stage. A few more seconds passed before he finally started speaking. "I'm sure you've heard this a lot today, but allow me to, once again, thank you for coming. This has been an exciting year for Davenport Industries. We are currently making breakthroughs in the fields of neurology, space travel, and global defense against rogue meteors." At this, everyone politely applauded.

Now, me being me, this whole conference about new technologies was highly fascinating. However, my side had begun to itch fiercely a couple of presentations ago, so I was hoping that Mr. Davenport and Douglas kept it short so that I could go home and assume my usual form. They were next to last, anyways, and Douglas' presentation wasn't too long. Assuming that no one asked too many questions, they would be off the stage in about ten minutes.

However, watching Douglas stand on stage by the projected image of the final blue prints for his cyborg hand was a decent trade for a bit of pain. He looked ready to pass out. It was _hilarious._ Judging by Adam's expression as he watched, absently stroking Yahn's head - said imp had taken the form of a gecko and had poked his head out of Adam's shirt pocket - I probably wouldn't be the only one giving Douglas hell for it, either.

He was so arrogant all of the time that we just _couldn't_ pass that opportunity up. The great Douglas Davenport was afraid of investors. Oh, how the mighty had fallen.

Once the clapping died down, Mr. Davenport began again. "However, what we're presenting today will revolutionize prosthetic limbs. Imagine a cyborg hand that you can move like a normal hand without a second thought." A murmur of curiosity went through the crowd. Mr. Davenport waited for a second before he continued. "I'm going to let the head of research and development on this project explain more about this. Douglas?" Mr. Davenport glanced back at Douglas, who remained where he was like he had been chained there, his eyes wide with fear.

Of all the things he could have done, he _had_ to pick the worst: Freezing. As much as I wanted to laugh, I felt a bit sorry for him. Now Douglas was going to catch flak from Mr. Davenport for embarrassing him, too. Poor guy.

Beside me, Tasha whispered, "Is he all right?"

I shrugged. To be honest, Douglas looked like he was about to puke.

On the other side of Adam, Bree rolled her eyes and pulled a bobby pin and thin hair band out of her hair, causing the low ponytail her hair had been fashioned in to disintegrate around her shoulders. She widened the bobby pin and looped the band around her middle and index finger to form a crude sling shot.

_I hope that hurts,_ my voice hissed gleefully.

_I hope it snaps him out of it,_ I responded, watching as Bree hooked the bobby pin on the band, pulling it back and aiming as if it were a crossbow.

On stage, Mr. Davenport looked desperate. "Douglas?" he urged, keeping his now-strained smile plastered across his face.

Douglas didn't move. I wondered if he even knew that someone was talking to him.

Bree released the pin, the band twanging softly as it launched the makeshift missile towards the stage. A split-second later, Douglas yelped and jumped a bit, his hand flying to his shoulder. However, that seemed to work, because he launched into his speech as if the last few seconds hadn't happened. It was a good thing he had practiced it so much, because he spoke flawlessly, explaining everything and gesturing at the projection as if he was the most relaxed person in the world.

It was shocking what a bit of preparation would do.

Mr. Davenport appeared very relieved as Douglas went on. At least Douglas was redeeming himself a bit.

As for us, I could tell that the entire family unit - though appearing interested - had completely checked out. Adam's eyes were distant as he rubbed Yahn's small back. Bree was trying to salvage her ponytail as discreetly as she could. Leo was visibly impatient, going so far as to tap his foot rapidly, causing the mouse-shaped lump in his pocket to stir a bit. Poor Ysthry. Tasha almost nodded off herself, having to occasionally shake her head to ward off the boredom-induced exhaustion. We all had the misfortune of hearing it several times over already. No, I was interested in the question portion. He had to be spontaneous, which was _always_ fun to watch.

Which was why I perked up a bit when Douglas finally gave the invitation.

"Are there any questions?"

A guy in the back decided to go first. "How do we even know this will work? Is there a prototype?"

Douglas deadpanned at the man before rolling his right sleeve back. Carefully, he detached his fake hand - my eyes were drawn to the small metal pieces embedded in his skin to help keep the thing from falling off - and held it up. "Trust me; it works."

The statement set of a chorus of impressed murmurs and polite laughing as he reattached his hand and righted his sleeve, wiggling his fingers a bit. About this time, another investor decided to speak up. "When can we expect to see this in mass production?"

Mr. Davenport had the answer for him. "We're hoping to have these on the market around summer of next year."

More murmurs of consideration. Then, a woman asked the next question. "Is this limited to hands?"

Douglas frowned and leaned forward, squinting a bit at the lady who asked. After a few long, silent seconds, he tilted his head. "We're working on other limbs, as well. Blueprints are already drawn up for..." He trailed off, his face lighting up with surprise and recognition, followed by a bit of apprehension and - oddly - controlled anger.

Mr. Davenport took over, finishing for Douglas, who wouldn't stop staring at the woman. "As he was saying, we already have blueprints for legs, full arms, individual fingers, and so on. We aren't focusing only on hands."

A few more questions were asked, but I wasn't paying attention anymore. Instead, I was watching Douglas. He kept glancing at the woman who had unsettled him somehow. I poked the small lump in my pocket. "Oly, who is that?" I whispered.

Oly shifted a bit, her mouse paw poking me in the chest once as she stuck her head out of the top of my pocket and followed Douglas' look. "No idea," she answered. "An ex-lover, perhaps?"

It was hard to imagine Douglas ever having the patience for a girlfriend. It just didn't seem to be in his nature.

He _did_ have three kids, though. We had to come from somewhere, right? We didn't just magically appear one day.

Whoa, backtrack, _backtrack!_ My mind started supplying various images that were very unpleasant to behold. I pulled a disgusted, horrified face, which caught Tasha's attention. She looked at me quizzically and patted my hand gently while I shuddered. Curse you, brain!

Still, the question remained: Where _was_ our mother? Was Douglas married at one point? Was that woman involved somehow? Or was she a random ex-girlfriend, like Oly suggested?

I had never thought to ask about any of this.

As Mr. Davenport and Douglas finally exited the stage - a few people, including the woman, got up to leave, too - I sighed. One more presentation, and I could talk to him.

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><p><em>"...Everything I can't remember, as fucked up as it all may seem. The consequences that I've rendered: I've gone and fucked things up again..."<em>

**Staind, "It's Been Awhile"**

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><p><em>"<em>_I am very protective of my family."_

**Christa Miller**

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><p><strong><em>Douglas<em>**

Once they had removed their microphones and handed them to the stagehand, Donnie smacked the back of Douglas' head. "What's wrong with you?! Do you know how many investors deny funding based on how well the presentation went?"

Douglas absently rubbed the back of his head, only half-listening. His mind, however, was focused on _her._

Sandra Pike.

He never thought he'd see her again. He never _wanted_ to see that bitch again.

Donald snapped his fingers right in front of Douglas' eyes. "Are you even _listening?"_

Douglas swatted Donald's hand away. "I have bigger things to worry about that a couple of investors right now," he snapped.

"What could _possibly_ be more important?" Donnie rolled his eyes. "That one woman you want to seduce in the audience?"

"That wasn't it!" Douglas felt his face heat up, though. "If I never see her again, it'll be too soon. Besides, I kind of already had a shot with her. I don't want a repeat."

Donald frowned. "Then what's your problem?"

Douglas swallowed hard. "That _bitch_ is Adam's mother."

Realization made Donald's hard expression soften a bit. "Are you sure?"

Douglas wanted to backhand his brother. "I think I'd remember the woman who left my own son on my porch in the middle of the god-damned night, Don!"

Donald raised his hands defensively. "Relax, Dougie. It was just a question."

Douglas bit back a retort, sighing instead. "What does she want?" he muttered to himself.

However, Donald overheard. "She _is_ an investor. Her being here is likely a coincidence."

The glare Douglas sent Donald's way could have withered flowers. He didn't want Donnie to play the advising older brother right then. He wanted someone to support him in his anger.

Donald crossed his arms. "Don't look at me like that. This whole thing was invite only. It wasn't like she saw Davenport Industries and decided to show up."

"But now that she's here..."

Donald rolled his eyes. "You're overreacting."

Why did they have to be in public? Douglas wanted to throw a punch at Donald, and he knew that the urge would dissipate before they got to a place where he _could_ act on the impulse. Life just wasn't fair.

Douglas' rational side knew that Donald was right, though. She likely wasn't in the audience for any reason other than scouting opportunities that might turn a profit. For all he knew, she wouldn't remember him. As long as she kept her distance, everything would be fine.

That didn't make him feel any better, though. What if she _did_ recognize him? Would she try to take Adam? Did she even _care? _Probably not. She _had_ left a signed certificate of abandonment with Adam on the porch. Suppose she regretted it now?

Douglas ground his teeth. Sandra wasn't going to get within twenty feet of Adam. He wasn't going to let her.

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><p><strong>*Gasp* She's back!<strong>

**What'll happen?!**

**Guess you'll have to wait to find out.**

**Anyways, feel free to review. Or don't. As always, I don't give a crap. :P**

**And, of course, enjoy. **

***Bows and exits***


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2! Yay!**

**The story's moving along. :3**

**Anyway, thanks to my reviewers, readers, random people who can't read but like looking at pretty black-and-white squiggles. :3 I would give you a flower, but my guinea pig eats them.**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport: **_"…And here I go again on my own! Going down the only road I've ever known!..."_

**Whitesnake, "Here I Go Again"**

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** "…Do you think that I would be looking for a girlfriend if I could reach my various parts with my own mouth?!"**

**…****Warning: Ask a question, and Hellcat might answer it…**

**Shinxshinx1595:**** Not a trilogy. Just a story.**

**RissA15:**** I don't…Did anyone understand the last part of that?**

**"****Nope."**

**DisneyXDGirl:**** "Zara is currently trying to find a way to throw ****_Hunter_**** at you due to the fact that she established this multi-mother thing a long time ago."**

**He did not. He didn't kill Marcus. As I recall, back when he was Chase, he actually tried to save Marcus by warning him of the falling debris.**

**So, let's do this! Tasha?**

**"****Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

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><p><em>"<em>_I am sorry my decisions do not meet with your approval, but nevertheless, they are mine, and the consequences are also mine." _

**Rachel Caine, ****_The Dead Girls' Dance_**

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><p><em>"<em>_A teacher who loves learning earns the right and the ability to help others learn." _

**Ruth Beechick****_, An Easy Start in Arithmetic_**

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><p><strong>Chase<strong>

"So…who's our mother?"

Douglas choked a bit on the coffee he was drinking. I suppose that asking him when he was swallowing something was a bad idea, but screw it. He sputtered and coughed a bit, his eyes widened with total surprise. I just watched him, trying my best to look like the adorable demon that I was.

Maybe if I looked like a cute kitty, he'd answer more questions.

_You know better than that. If he doesn't want to, he won't answer anything, _my lovely voice advised me.

I fought the urge to lower my ears at that. Technically, that was right, but Douglas was human. People liked cute things, right?

After a moment, Douglas regained composure. He stared at me for a second, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly. Looking up at him from her perch on his lap, Oly started laughing. "You broke him, Half-Breed."

This snapped Douglas out of whatever state he was in. He thumped Oly behind her ear before looking at me again, his expression suspicious and guarded. "Why?"

I shrugged. "I was curious."

Douglas frowned. "Curiosity killed the cat."

"But satisfaction brought it back," I countered, finishing the saying. I felt a satisfied smirk grow on my face at Douglas' glare. "Please?"

Several seconds passed before Douglas answered. "You don't want to go down this road, kid."

I tilted my head before sitting on the couch beside him. "Why not?"

"It's just not something you want to know," he answered ominously.

Which, of course, meant that I wanted to know it _more._ "Then why am I asking?"

"For Christ's sake, Hellcat," Douglas growled, rubbing his eyes. "Tasha's your mother. Let's just leave it at that."

"What about me?" Tasha asked as she walked in the room and entered the kitchen, opening the fridge to pull out some fruit.

"Nothing much," I answered. I poked Douglas. "Come on; she can't be _that _bad."

Tasha stopped what she was doing and raised an eyebrow, her hand on her hip.

Douglas held up a hand innocently. "Not you, Tasha." He turned his attention back to me. "Where is this even coming from, anyways? You weren't curious about your mother before."

I shrugged. "That lady you kept glaring at yesterday at the conference. By the way, what was _that_ about?"

Douglas suddenly tensed. "Nothing," he answered tightly. "She's nobody."

"She didn't look like nobody to me," Oly argued.

Douglas shot her a look. "Look, who she is doesn't matter. Neither does your birth mother. And I'm not answering any questions about it."

I frowned and laid my ears back. What could be so bad that he didn't want to tell me? "But –"

"No buts," Douglas snapped, interrupting me.

I wanted to push it, but Leo ruined the moment by bursting in the front door and slamming it shut behind him, breathing heavily and looking terrified.

"What happened to you?" Tasha asked instantly, worry growing on her face.

Leo force a smile. "Nothing. Some football players just followed me home."

"So?" Douglas snorted. "Just beat them up."

"Douglas," Tasha warned from the kitchen.

Leo just shrugged. "I don't know how. They'd win in two seconds."

Douglas suddenly smacked my shoulder. "He's getting chased by football players, and _you_ haven't taught him to defend himself?"

"Don't change the subject," I hissed. "Besides, he has Ysthry."

"Not out there, he doesn't," Douglas countered. "What kind of brother are you? Go teach him how to defend himself!"

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Tasha protested from the kitchen.

"Neither was summoning, but he learned that," Douglas pointed out cheekily.

I frowned. However, knowing that he had changed the subject because he was firmly done discussing it, I sighed and stood up. "Come on, Leo." Not even bothering to see if he was following, I turned on my heel and headed towards the elevator. The Lab had the most room for training someone.

Oly leapt onto my shoulder as I pressed the down button. "I want to see him fail."

Leo showed up beside me, following me into the elevator. "I'm not going to fail," he muttered.

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><p><em> "<em>_I'd learned that some things are best kept secret." _

**Nicholas Sparks****_, Dear John_**

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><p><em>"<em>_Your silence will not protect you." _

**Audre Lorde****_, Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches_**

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><p><strong><em>Douglas<em>**

Tasha fixed him with a quizzical look the second the elevator door closed. After a moment, Douglas sighed. "What, Tasha?"

"Why won't you tell him about his mother?" she asked, tilting her head. "You know he's going to keep asking."

"It's not something he needs – or wants – to know," Douglas answered, narrowing his eyes. "It's not exactly pleasant."

"He's not a little kid," she countered. "You can't protect him from everything."

Douglas raised an eyebrow. "What would you possibly understand about it?"

Tasha smirked. "You aren't the only one with secrets, Douglas."

"That's vague and a bit dramatic, don't you think?" Douglas responded. However, he felt curiosity gnawing at him now. What dark secrets could Tasha possibly have?

Tasha almost laughed. "_You're _calling me dramatic? You won't even tell your kids about their mother." She started cutting up an apple, an amused grin on her face. "It's too horrible," she declared in a falsely dark voice.

Douglas rolled his eyes. "It's not horrible," he corrected. "It's not good, though."

"Since when is anything you're involved in ever good?"

Douglas actually chuckled. "Fair enough."

Tasha glanced at him. "Seriously, though; what could be so bad? Did she die some kind of horrifying death or something?"

Douglas shook his head. Say whatever you wanted about Tasha, but she had a way of making someone feel safe enough to be honest. It was the strangest thing, and she was the only person he had met who could do it. Douglas sighed. "No, Tasha; she didn't die. _They_…." He trailed off, wondering if he really wanted to tell someone else. Donnie was the only one who knew, and that was because he was there for it.

"Wait, _they?_" Tasha echoed.

Douglas shrugged, smiling. "I'm a ladies' man, Tasha. The sooner you accept that, the easier this will be."

Tasha snorted. "Ladies' man," she scoffed, letting out a bit of laughter.

Douglas pressed a hand to his chest and gasped as if he had been mortally wounded.

Tasha rolled her eyes. "Anyways, what happened to their mothers if they didn't die?"

Douglas ground his teeth in aggravation. "Why is this so important?"

Tasha shrugged. "It's not. I'm just curious."

"You and Hellcat, both," Douglas found himself muttering.

"Fine," Tasha responded. "Then who was that woman yesterday?"

Douglas pinched the bridge of his nose. "Does she matter?"

Consideration crossed her face for a moment before she nodded. "Now, she matters."

Douglas fixed her with a look. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

Tasha smirked and shook her head. "I can be just as stubborn as you."

Douglas sighed and looked around, making sure that none of the kids were around. "Fine." He stood up and walked closer to Tasha so that he could talk quietly. "Their mothers didn't want them. Bree's and Chase's signed full custody over to me. I haven't seen them since. Adam's just left him on my porch with a certificate of abandonment."

Tasha's eyes widened. "I can't imagine ever abandoning Leo," she breathed.

Douglas shrugged. "I don't know how they did it, but they did."

Tasha nodded slowly. "So…who was the woman in the crowd yesterday?"

Douglas swallowed, forcing his anger down. "She was Adam's mother."

"Adam's mother?" Tasha parroted, dropping her voice down to a whisper and leaning over the counter. "What was she doing?"

"Investing?" Douglas responded, rolling his eyes. "I don't think she intended to be there for the kids. I'm just glad she kept her distance."

Tasha nodded slowly and pursed her lips. "You know, they're going to keep asking until you tell them where they came from one day," she pointed out. "At least, Chase will."

Douglas looked at the elevator door wearily. "I know. That's what I'm worried about."

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><p>"<em>True genius resides in the capacity for evaluation of uncertain, hazardous, and conflicting information."<em>

**Winston Churchill**

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><p><em>"<em>_People should not be protected from the world. It cripples them." _

**Josephine Humphreys****_, Rich in Love_**

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><p><strong><em>Adam<em>**

"That woman yesterday was your mother!" Yahn whispered, his ear pressed against the wall.

Adam's eyes widened in disbelief. The dull throb in his legs that was born of his crouching position beside Yahn was suddenly forgotten. His mother? How could a random woman in the crowd be his mother? "No way," he responded quietly.

"It's true," Yahn confirmed, still listening at the wall.

"Then why didn't Douglas introduce us?" Adam hissed, utterly confused. If she was their mother, then why would Douglas not let them meet her? "I want to know our mother."

"She's just your mother," Yahn said. "Not Bree's or Half-Breed's. And – according to him – she abandoned you on his doorstep."

Adam felt like he had been punched in the gut. His mother had abandoned him? He shook his head vigorously. "No way," he responded. "She wouldn't do that."

"She did." Yahn frowned, finally pulling away from the wall. He climbed onto Adam's shoulder.

Adam suddenly regretted wanting to listen to the conversation the second Chase had mentioned their mothers. "Who does that?" he whispered, speaking to no one in particular.

Yahn patted Adam's shoulder. "Sometimes, people do desperate things when they are scared."

Adam stood up, stretching his legs out as he became aware of the pain again. "She didn't want me," he said miserably. He turned away and trotted back down the hallway, heading for the Lab. Maybe watching Chase become frustrated while trying to help Leo would take his mind off of things.

"Are you all right?" Yahn asked sympathetically. "Do you want to tell the others?"

Adam paused. He didn't know what to think. He had a swirling whirlpool of emotions threatening to overwhelm him at any time. He wanted to punch a wall in anger at her leaving him when he was a child. He wanted to curl up in a corner and cry at the idea that his own mother didn't want him. He wanted to confront Douglas about all of this, demand answers that he still didn't have.

He wanted to forget that he ever learned this.

Finally, he shook his head. "I don't want to tell Hellcat or Bree. Not yet."

Yahn nodded slowly. "What about your mother? Do you want to meet her?"

Adam found that he did want to meet her, if only to ask why she did it. However, he shook his head. "I have no way of finding her, so it doesn't matter."

Yahn sighed. "Obviously, it does matter. Of course, you're right. We couldn't find her unless Master gave us more information. And he won't do it."

Adam crossed his arms. "But he said he had a certificate, right? That has to have her name on it."

Yahn smiled. "There's no guarantee that he has it still," he pointed out. "But I could look."

Adam nodded before starting towards the Lab again. "Thank you." Even if he would never meet her, he at least wanted to know his mother's name.

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><p><strong>Why does everybody have to hide around corners?!<strong>

**It ruins everyone's plans!**

**Anyways, now Adam knows why that chick freaked Douglas out yesterday. :3**

**Anywho, we're going to have to wait until next time to find out what's going on. Because I love making people wait. It sates my sadistic tendencies. :P**

**So feel free to review. Or don't. Do I really have to keep saying it?**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	3. Chapter 3

**"****Hellcat here! Zara is letting me do the intro for today! Well, she actually isn't, but she didn't say no, either. That says yes to me! :D**

**"She wanted me to tell you guys something. She has some fun facts about the Hybrid Universe listed on her profile! These don't really pertain to any plot lines, but they're nice for a trivia thing. But the list is short, so feel free to ask questions if you want to know something else.**

**"Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone who ever clicked on this story. :3 I know it's a bit broad, but who cares? I'm awesome enough to pull it off."**

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** "...I didn't ask you to be my girlfriend. I was making a sexual joke for the crowd's amusement. Guess it failed. Also, exorcisms don't work on demons. Sorry to burst your bubble."**

**Gg180000:**** "I don't want to freak Tasha out. :c"**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport****: "Hold up, Hellcat; I got this one." *clears his throat* "What in the ****_hell _****could you possibly ask that's so important that it requires you poking me?!"**

**"****Anyways, Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without a teacher." _

**Elbert Hubbard**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Rouse him, and learn the principle of his activity or inactivity. Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his vulnerable spots." _

**Sun Tzu, ****_The Art of War_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Leo<em>**

"For Christ's sake, Leo," Chase hissed, pinning his ears. "Keep your hands _up!_ How can you guard yourself if your hands are by your stomach?"

Leo frowned, bringing his fists up in front of his face.

"Too high." Chase pushed Leo's arms down an inch or two. "You'll want to guard your chest, too, if you get in a fight."

Leo furrowed his brow. "I don't want to get in a fight."

"Tell that to a jock and see how he reacts," Oly countered from her perch on Chase's shoulder. "He'll turn your ass into a grease stain."

"He'll do that, anyways," Leo protested. "Even if I _could_ hit him, it would just tickle!"

"Then use your elbows," Bree advised from her seat at the cyber desk. Ysthry was curled up on the desk itself, her neck arched while Bree rubbed it with her fingertips. "You can put more force behind them."

"If I'm not dead first," Leo huffed, lowering his arms.

"Keep your fists up," Chase growled.

"But it hurts," Leo whined. His upper arms were starting to burn.

"That's the point." Chase crossed his arms. "It builds muscle. You need _some_ muscle to fight."

Leo ground his teeth, aggravated. "You're supposed to be teaching me how to fight, not how to build muscle for a fight!"

"You're not going to learn overnight," Bree pointed out.

Chase glared at Bree. "Who's the teacher here?"

"What could you teach him?" Bree challenged. "How to stand in one place while your opponent dances around you?"

Chase narrowed his eyes at her, but stayed quiet, his half-tail lashing with irritation as Oly started laughing.

Leo looked between the two siblings. Bree had a point; Chase - although he used to be the best at hand-to-hand combat out of the three - was the best no longer. An afrit destroyed that when it decided to tear a chunk out of Chase's leg. It didn't pose much of a problem when he was walking. Sure, he limped a bit, but he got around just fine.

When it came to fighting, though, it made itself known.

The sudden, drastic motions involved in martial arts aggravated the old injury to the point where it hurt too much for him to put weight on it for a while. As a result, he could only move a bit, often keeping himself inside the area of a square foot and waiting for his opponent to come to him. He started to rely more heavily on his other abilities and various demonic powers to catch someone at a distance, but it took him several seconds longer to aim with his bionics than what was safe in a fight.

Talk about kicking his legs out from under him.

Leo's arms started burning as the silence stretched from seconds to minutes. He wanted to drop them to his sides. The more he thought about it, the worse it became. No matter how hard he tried to focus on whatever was going on between Chase and Bree, his thoughts always came back to the pain in his muscles.

Why did Douglas have to put the training idea in Chase's head?

Chase finally hissed. "Then _you_ teach him." Despite the concession, though, Chase looked a bit upset at being reminded of his limitations.

Bree sat straighter in her chair, frowning. "I'm not much of a teacher."

Ysthry rolled her neck so that Bree was rubbing the other side as she spoke. "If Half-Breed can't do it, then that leaves you and Adam."

Bree sighed. "Adam can't teach for crap. Fine; I'll do it."

As she stood up, Leo couldn't help but see the apologetic smile Bree sent towards Chase, who was trying not to look as sad as he probably was. Oly patted his shoulder a bit, but he didn't say anything as he backed up. Bree took her place in front of Leo and waved her hands a bit. "You can put your arms down."

Leo let them drop like weights immediately. "_Thank_ you!"

What came after that was – in Leo's opinion – worse. Bree had Leo going through very basic movements so slowly that his muscles ached and he found it hard to balance. No wonder his siblings had muscles; fighting was hard! He wasn't even doing it that fast! While he was suffering through this, Adam had shown up and was standing by Chase, remaining surprisingly quiet. Yahn was nowhere to be found.

As Bree had Leo standing on the balls of his feet to work on leg strength, he didn't pay much attention to the background. The only thing he noticed more than once was Oly, who occasionally laughed or had a remark ready when he messed up. He wished that he could order her to shut up multiple times, but he just ground his teeth and bore it. He figured that Bree would get bored of teaching him and the lessons would likely only last a few days. Then, everything would go back to normal. He would be able to cower in peace.

That fact didn't mean he enjoyed the hour-long lesson. It probably would have gone on longer if Bree hadn't noticed that Chase had left the Lab. She was in the middle of demonstrating a balanced defensive crouch when she looked around, appearing confused. Her eyes finally landed on Adam, who now had Oly perched on his shoulder. "Where did Hellcat go?"

Adam shrugged. "I think he got bored."

Bree frowned and straightened up, looking a bit guilty. She brushed off her shirt a bit and nodded before she looked back at Leo. "You're going to be sore tomorrow, anyways. We should probably stop."

Leo rubbed his shoulder, rolling it a bit. "Looking forward to that," he muttered. On the cyber desk, Ysthry shifted from one foot to the other repeatedly before she took off into the air and landed on Leo's shoulder, folding her wings close against herself.

"You're as graceful as a three-legged, drunk cat," Oly commented, laughing loudly.

Leo rolled his eyes. He hadn't even been moving that time.

Adam smiled a bit. "Ignore her. You're doing just fine."

Now _that_ was more like it. Leo couldn't fight off his prideful smirk at that.

"But you can't win a fight like that," Adam continued. "You don't have the muscle to back it up."

Bree's eyes lit up suddenly. "Strategy! You need to learn strategy."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "I'm good at strategy."

"Battle strategy?" Bree challenged.

Leo opened his mouth, thinking of several ways his opponent to attack and different ways he could counter. However, he could think of ways to counter his counter moves, too. He had no answer for those. Finally, he nodded. "Then how do I learn strategy?"

"Hellcat's the strategy guy," Adam noted with a shrug.

"Go ask him to teach you that," Bree instantly said, latching onto this opportunity. Maybe she was hoping to make Chase feel a bit better after she essentially stole his self-defense class.

Leo hesitated for a moment – did he _really _want to get a lecture on how to think in a fight? – but he ended up walking through the tunnel to find Chase. At the very least, it would be useful information, right? He completely ignored Yahn scurrying into the Lab with a paper clutched in his hands as he made a beeline towards where Chase liked to hide when he was upset: The back porch.

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Study the past if you would define the future." _

**Confucius**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_You count the hours you could have spent with your mother, it's__ a lifetime in itself." _

**Mitch Albom, ****_For One More Day_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Adam<em>**

In his hands was the certificate of abandonment.

It felt so light, like paper always did. It was hard to believe that the simple form – and a signature – had the power to disown a child.

Adam still hadn't opened it.

It was folded in half and ripped a bit on the edges, betraying its age and the poor treatment it had been subjected to. If Douglas had to keep moving, though, it made sense that the document would be slightly damaged.

Adam stared at it, as he had been for the past hour. With a sigh, he looked up and let his eyes drift over the room, eyeing his reflection in every mirror. Honestly, he didn't know why he chose to come into Mr. Davenport's mirror room. Maybe it was so he could see his reaction? Or look for his mother in his features? Either way, all he saw was a nervous man, holding a piece of paper.

A piece of paper that could change his life.

In his lap, Yahn was making faces at a mirror directly in front of him. Adam wanted to join him, but he couldn't. For some reason, he felt that he needed to be very serious about this moment. This was his mother, after all.

Whose last actions to him basically said that she didn't care about him.

_Quit being a bitch and just open it, _he chastised himself firmly. It was just her name. Who cared if she abandoned him?

Oh, right; for some reason, _he _cared.

Adam looked at the form again, frowning. Was there some drastic reason his mother left him alone with Douglas? Was it necessary? Did she panic when she found out that she was a mother, causing her to act before thinking? Or was she just a deadbeat mom?

Why the hell did it even matter to him?

He bit his lip. It just _did._

Yahn patted Adam's knee. "Do you want me to take it back and forget this ever happened?"

Adam turned the certificate over in his hands. That would make things easier. However, now that he had the opportunity to find the answer to a question he had been wondering about for years, did he really want to let it go?

Shaking his head, Adam took a deep breath, braced himself, and unfolded the paper. It was full of legal jargon that he didn't understand – he doubted that anyone could, really – but he was more interested in the signature at the bottom. In neat cursive, the name "Sandra Pike" was written on the line for the mother's name.

Sandra Pike.

His mother's name was Sandra Pike.

Adam stared at the form for a long while before folding it again. Now that he knew her name, he didn't know what to do about it. Did he want to find her? Would she even want to see him?

Why did life have to be so damn _hard?_

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry. Hellcat begged…and begged…and left a rotten egg in my shoe…and begged some more….So I finally just let him do the intro. <strong>

**Anywho, I would have posted this two days ago, but I would always be in the middle of writing it when the Sandman hit me upside the head with his crap and I konked out. **

**But not today! Oh, no! I'm eating apples and peanut butter and drinking some hard lemonade. :P Honestly, this is probably about as calm as I can get.**

**And I'm pretty keyed up still. But I got the chapter written, anyways, so yay!**

**Feel free to review. Or don't. I usually couldn't care less, but my give-a-damn is broken to the extreme right now. xD**

**Enjoy. :3**

**Give me Heaven or give me Hellcat!**

***Bows and exits***


	4. Chapter 4

**Woo! Chapter Four!**

**What's gonna happen?!**

**Well, before we go there, let's go ****_here!_**** Thank you, reviewers, readers, and Hellcat fans! He actually has some stuff to say to you.**

**As does Douglas.**

**(They're holding a gun to my head, so just roll with it!)**

**DisneyXDGirl****: "Scale of one to ten - ten being more than necessary - how many feathers am I gonna lose since I missed your review last time?"**

**Gg180000****: **_"Ugh...I don't know why, but Hellcat's really getting on my nerves..."_

**"Good. Remember: I don't fucking live to please you!"**

**"Hey!"**

**"And neither does Douglas!"**

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** "It's Zara's world. You're just visiting. :3"**

**"Zara's been laying claim to my world again?!"**

**You don't own jack shit, Douglas.**

**RissA15****: "Please don't fangirl-eat me. ._."**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport****: "...You...just to ask..." *takes away Mia's awesome card***

**Anyways, while you're cursing Zara's name, read this. :P Yahn?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

><p><em>"Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real."<em>

**Cormac McCarthy, ****_All the Pretty Horses (The Border Trilogy, #1)_**

* * *

><p><em>"You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present."<em>

**John Green, ****_Looking for Alaska_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Douglas<em>**

Where was it?

Douglas dug through his unorganized stack of legal documents. He had found his home owner contracts, three car titles from vehicles he no longer owned, the custody papers for Bree and Chase, and various warrants that he had outrun over the years. However, he couldn't find the one form he was looking for, the one form he wanted to reassure himself with: The certificate of abandonment.

He wanted to look at it. He knew it was foolish, but he wanted physical evidence to hold. He wanted to _see_ that Sandra could never come back and take Adam away.

But the certificate was gone.

Where the hell _was_ it?

What if someone demanded to see it? If he couldn't produce it, they could take Adam!

Reaching the bottom of his pile again, he let out an involuntary snarl of frustration and smacked the desk loudly with the palm of his hand only to yelp a bit and shake his hand as it started to sting. Okay, maybe that was a bad move. He _needed_ to find that form, though, if only to calm his nerves. He didn't know why, but seeing Sandra had shaken him to the core.

_You're overreacting,_ he chastised himself firmly. _She's not going to take Adam away._

Then why did he have such a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach?

A rustling sound caught his attention. He glanced up only to find Oly curling up on his bed, watching him. "What the hell are you doing? You're making a mess."

Douglas stared at her for a moment. She was right; papers were scattered everywhere, since he had casually tossed them away when he found that they weren't what he was after. Finally, after failing to think of a snippy response, he just sighed. "Why do you even care, Oly?"

She shrugged, the small rhinestones on her wings shimmering. "You might make me clean it up."

He smiled slightly. Oly being worried about something like that was so familiar that it was calming. He walked to his bed - avoiding various legal papers on the floor - and picked Oly up. She climbed up his arm and spread out across his shoulders, her tail hanging down one side of him and her head resting on his shoulder on the other side of his neck, like she was a living scarf. He rubbed her chin for a second before he started scooping papers off of the floor. He examined each one carefully - maybe he has missed it - and placed them all in a pile carefully when he found out that they weren't what he wanted. It took him about thirty minutes to find all the forms and get them back in his messy pile, but he still couldn't find the certificate.

Maybe it had gotten lost in the many times he had to evacuate a building. It wasn't the end of the world. It was a legal document; a copy existed _somewhere_ in the multitude of files the government kept.

Douglas ran his hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. _Everything will be fine,_ he assured himself as Oly's breathing evened out in his ear, a testimony that she had fallen asleep. Sandra hadn't bothered him at the convention, so she probably wouldn't bother him at all. She _had_ abandoned Adam eighteen years ago, after all. What were the odds that she wanted to know him now?

Wait! Adam was _eighteen_. Even if she _did_ come back, she legally couldn't take custody of an adult.

Douglas leaned against his desk, relieved at this thought. Why the hell hadn't he remembered that earlier? It would have saved him a lot of panicking. Sandra couldn't do a damned thing.

A relieved laugh bubbled up from his chest. Thank the Gods!

A knock on his bedroom door caught his attention. Douglas - still smiling - straightened up and went to the door, opening it just to find a frowning, human-appearing Chase. "What's up?" he asked.

Chase's response, though, made Douglas' face fall with horror. "Someone named Sandra is here. She said she wants to see you."

Fuck!

* * *

><p><em>"Most gods throw dice, but Fate plays chess, and you don't find out 'til too late that he's been playing with two queens all along."<em>

**Terry Pratchett**

* * *

><p><em>"I shouldn't have eavesdropped, but sometimes, that's the only way to find out the truth."<em>

**Jodi Picoult, ****_Handle with Care_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chase<em>**

Leo stared at the chess pieces sprawled out haphazardly on the board, his brow furrowed in concentration. He had been a bit skeptical about playing chess to learn strategy, but he quickly figured out that learning to think ahead and anticipate enemy movements would be most beneficial to him. Honestly, I wasn't all that focused on the game. I had only made three moves, and I was going to kick his ass with a fourth when he finally got around to moving his own piece. No, the conversation going on outside between Douglas and that Sandra lady that he glared at during the presentation yesterday - so quiet that even _I_ couldn't hear it - was far more interesting to me. Whoever Sandra was, Douglas was _pissed._

Which meant that I wanted to know who she was to him.

I'd have to ask Oly later. She was sitting on his shoulder as a spider small enough to blend into his shirt.

Leo moved one of his knights, wearing a triumphant grin. "Beat that!" he challenged.

I sighed and moved my bishop forward, capturing one of his pawns and threatening his king. In the background, my queen was guarding the bishop, meaning that the king would be captured either way. I casually thumped his king over. "Check mate."

Leo gaped at the board. "What? _How?"_

I shrugged. "Scholar's Mate. It's a chess strategy."

His eyes darted around the board, trying to decipher exactly what moves I had made when Douglas's raised voice caught both of our attentions. Ysthry - who had been sitting in Leo's lap as a cat - jumped a bit and glanced at the door. I couldn't understand what he was saying, but he wasn't happy about it. This was followed by the woman's voice, raised but calm.

I glanced at Leo for confirmation as to what we were listening to. His wide eyes suggested that he had heard it, too.

Sandra was standing up to an enraged Douglas.

She was the bravest - or stupidest - woman I'd ever heard of.

Adam trotted down the stairs with a folded paper, Yahn on his shoulder. He paused about halfway up the stairs, frowning at us as we stared at the door. When more yelling came from outside, Adam's attention turned to the confrontation. "What's going on?"

"Douglas is talking to some woman named Sandra," Leo supplied while I nodded like an idiot, suddenly feeling very helpful.

_You should cut out his Charming tongue!_

Adam suddenly gasped for some reason, paling a bit. Yahn patted his shoulder gently.

Now, I was focused on Adam. Why? Because what kind of reaction was _that?_ "You all right?" I asked.

Adam nodded, running a shaking hand through his hair. He didn't _look_ all right. In fact, he looked like he was so nervous that he would become physically sick.

Leo leaned forward, our chess game forgotten. "You want to sit down, Adam?"

Adam shook his head and started backing up the stairs. "I'm just...going to go..." And, without further explanation, he turned around and bolted back upstairs.

"What's Adam's problem?" Leo asked.

I shrugged. Honestly, I couldn't understand Adam half the time, anyways.

Douglas' yelling was suddenly very clear as the door opened. He stepped inside before turning around and snarling at Sandra. "You had your chance! Now _leave!"_

In the background, I could hear Sandra yelling her response. "He's old enough to decide for himself!"

Apparently, that only made Douglas' temper worse. "He can barely _dress_ himself! You stay away from him, and you stay the hell away from this family!" Whatever her response was, we didn't hear it. Douglas slammed the door and spun on his heel. "Get her out of here _now,_ Eddy," he growled, looking ready to kill. Without a word to Leo and me, he stormed up the stairs. He didn't even wait for Eddy to say something.

Eddy frowned on his screen. "What's _his_ problem?"

"Who knows?" I responded. Honestly, Douglas would likely be drunk within the hour, so asking him wouldn't work.

Leo tilted his head. "I wonder who Sandra was," he mused.

I grinned. "We're going to spy, aren't we?"

When Leo nodded, we high-fived. Screw strategy: We found something _far_ more interesting to mess with.

* * *

><p><em>"Hit the bottom and get back up; or hit the bottle and stay down."<em>

**Anthony Liccione**

* * *

><p><em>"Drunkenness is temporary suicide: the happiness that it brings is merely negative, a momentary cessation of unhappiness."<em>

**Bertrand Russell**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Douglas<em>**

How in the _hell_ did she find them?

Well, anyone could find anything on the internet. He took another long drink from his beer bottle - he tended not to keep whiskey around ever since the kids got into it - and wished it was a bit stronger. Sure, he was drunk as hell at the moment, but it had taken him longer than usual. Quite a few more drinks, too.

And he was _still_ thinking about Sandra, even when hours had passed and he was wasted!

Where was that bubbling joy that usually accompanied his buzzing mind? The one that made him forget everything, even if it was just for a few hours?

He glared at the bottle in his hand. Stupid beer.

Oly tilted her head, watching him from the bed. "You could just kill her," she pointed out.

_Yeah_, he thought excitedly. _I _could_ do that! Let's see that bitch come around here again!_ However, even in his drunken state, he still had that annoying sense of reason. "We can't kill 'er," he mumbled. "If Adam foun' out, he'd hate me forever...maybe." It depended on what Adam would think if he ever found out that his mother had left him.

Not that Douglas ever planned on telling him.

"Then maybe we could blow something up," Oly suggested.

Douglas smiled halfway. It _had_ been a while. Maybe he could join the group who was targeting a police station later that night. "How close is Atlanta?" he asked.

"Across the country," Oly answered.

Damn. "Going to have to build my own bomb, then." He stood up from his chair only to stumble backwards and collapse back into it. His eyes widened. "My legs stopped working!"

"Maybe you're too drunk to build a bomb," Oly snickered. "And your legs are fine. You're just a clumsy motherfucker at the moment."

Douglas scowled at her. "Shut up."

Oly winced a bit, but her smirk didn't fade.

Feeling challenged by her expression, Douglas started to stand up again. He was just fine! He could walk! Something strange just happened, and it wouldn't happen a second time!

Because he was _Douglas fucking Davenport. _It took more than a few beers to take him out!

Before he could fully stand, though, the door to his room opened, causing white light to cut through his twilight haven with its fluorescent sword.

Wait, was light sharp? It could pierce darkness. So it had to be sharp, right? Douglas resolved to test the theory later as Adam took a cautious step into the room, Yahn perched on his shoulders. "Douglas?"

"What?" Douglas huffed, wanting to be left alone to his misery, alcohol and half-formed scientific experiment.

Adam raised a paper and waved it a bit. "That woman you were talking to earlier today? Sandra?" Adam trailed off, looking sheepish.

Douglas felt himself tense up. Damned woman. "What about 'er?"

Adam shuffled his feet a bit and took a deep breath. "It's just...I stole this from you earlier -"

"You _what?"_ Douglas interrupted angrily.

"I'm giving it back!" Adam protested, walking into the room and sitting next to Oly on the bed, holding out the paper.

Douglas snatched it back. How _dare_ anyone steal from him! He gave it a cursory glance to see how important it was when something stirred in the back of his mind. He was looking at the certificate of abandonment that gave him custody over Adam.

And Adam had given it to him.

Wait a second.

Douglas let his eyes settle on Adam as he laid the paper on the desk. "You read it, I guess?"

Adam nodded. "That Sandra woman...was she my mother?"

Douglas wanted to lie, to tell Adam that he never had to worry about Sandra again.

But alcohol was a funny thing.

Without a second to even register what was going on, Douglas' mouth was working with no input from his brain. "Yes."

* * *

><p><strong>Aaaaaaaaaaand <strong>**_you have to wait!_**

**Mua ha ha ha ha!**

**"...Zara? People drink a lot in your stories..."**

**Shut up, Hellcat. Besides, it's mainly just Douglas.**

**"But he's an alcoholic now."**

**_Borderline_**** alcoholic, and don't blame this on me. No one can help him if he doesn't want help.**

**"But-"**

**If I go somewhere with this, will you quit bothering me?!**

**"About this one thing, sure."**

**Fine.**

**This cast is ****_so fucking needy._**

**Anyways, feel free to review. Or don't. I don't give a crap. :3**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five! **

**We get to find out what happened after Dougie put his foot in his mouth. :P**

**Before that, though, I'd like to thank the various readers and reviewers that tend to hang around the fence. Sorry we can't let you into the universe anymore, but the fangirl war left us with tighter border control.**

**Gg180000:**** I laughed for a solid minute after reading this.**

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** Because I'm a jackass. :P**

**Pheonix: **** No fun. :(**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport:**** "You'll get this back when you earn it."**

**Anyways, let's read on! Ysthry?**

**"****Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Never forget the power of silence, that massively disconcerting pause which goes on and on and may at last induce an opponent to babble and backtrack nervously."_

**Lance Morrow**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing."_

**Albert Einstein**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Adam<em>**

_She was here._ Adam's thoughts were racing. _She was here, and I missed her._

Sitting in front of him, Douglas looked like he was trying to find a way to erase what he just said. He tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair and bounced his leg nervously until he finally seemed to think of something. He grinned, the expression appearing a bit desperate. "You know, I tend to say stupid things when I'm drunk tha' aren't true."

"But my mother's name is Sandra Pike," Adam countered. "If you weren't talking to her, then who were you talking to? Because you seemed pretty upset afterwards."

The smile dropped from Douglas' lips. "I'm not upset."

"You started drinking immediately after," Oly piped up, obviously wanting to see if an argument would break out if she prodded enough.

Douglas brought his fist down on the desk beside him, suddenly enraged. "A man can't drink withou' everyone wondering why? I thought America was supposed to be a free fucking country!" Almost as fast as it flared up, though, Douglas' temper faded as he leaned back in his chair, holding his beer bottle and muttering almost to himself in a way that made the word "resigned" cross Adam's mind. "Damned government's going to make slaves out of us one of these days."

For a second, Adam wished that he could charm people, too. He had no idea what mood Douglas would exhibit next. As Yahn climbed off of his shoulder, Adam decided to try again. "Douglas?"

Douglas just inclined his head as Yahn climbed into his lap and nudged his way under Douglas' free hand. As Douglas started scratching Yahn's back, Adam decided to just go for broke.

Asking directly had worked earlier, right? Why wouldn't it work again?

"I'm guessing that the Sandra from earlier_ is_ my mother," Adam began slowly. "So, if she was here, why didn't you introduce her to me? I kind of want to meet her."

Douglas' hand stopped on Yahn's back as he fixed a strange look on Adam. Adam fidgeted uncomfortably under the scrutiny. It was like Douglas was trying to mentally tear Adam apart to study every last detail of the thought process behind wanting to meet Sandra. Several long moments passed like this, a heavy silence covering everything in the room. Even Oly stayed quiet, looking from Douglas to Adam and back again repeatedly.

Adam wanted to withdraw the question, but he knew that he probably would never ask again if that happened. He had to do this now, before he lost his nerve.

Finally, Douglas broke eye contact. However, he took a long drink of the beer he had before saying anything, as if he could avoid responding if he finished the bottle fast enough. Then, he sighed heavily. "Why?"

Adam frowned. Of all the possible responses he thought Douglas would have - mostly angry ones - he hadn't expected to be asked for an explanation. He had honestly been bracing himself for a refusal. "What?"

Douglas leaned forward, forcing Yahn to move a bit to avoid having his wing crushed against him. "I asked _why,"_ Douglas growled. "She dropped you a' my door like you were nothing to 'er. Why the hell would you wan' to meet 'er?"

_Good question_, Adam thought. He hadn't quite figured out the "why," either. But Douglas was watching him intently, waiting for something. He needed to stall while he sorted out his thoughts, but how?

Yahn seemed to sense Adam's predicament. He pulled a bit on Douglas' shirt. "Why was she even here, Master?"

Thankfully, Douglas turned his full attention to Yahn. Fury crossed his face as he rolled his eyes. "Tha' bitch wanted to visit Adam," he slurred, the word "bitch" sounding more like "bish." "She vanishes for eighteen fuckin' years an' actually has the _balls_ to come back asking about the kid she didn't want?" His voice turned into a tone that could only be described as "disgusted snarling" as he continued. "You can't jus' decide when you wan' to be involved in your kid's life. Either you're in or out. Picking an' choosing isn't an option!"

Adam nervously leaned away from Douglas a bit. Talk about a bitter ex-lover. He could understand the point that was just made, but it seemed a bit..._one-sided_. Sandra likely had a story, too, and it would be nice to know it.

Maybe that was why Adam wanted to meet her. He wanted to know why she did what she did. There had to be a reason. "I still want to meet her as soon as possible."

Douglas tilted his head, furrowing his brow. "Why is it so important?"

"It just is," Adam answered. He leaned forward. "Look, I get that you probably don't want to see your ex-wife, but don't I have a right to meet her?"

Douglas stared at Adam for a second before he broke into a fit of laughter. He covered his mouth with his hand, his shoulders shaking so much that Adam wondered fleetingly if Douglas was actually crying. The fact that he brushed actual tears from his eyes seemed to justify the thought. However, after a few minutes, Douglas finally regained enough control to speak a bit. "She's not my ex-wife! I was never married!"

Adam frowned. Weren't mothers and fathers supposed to be married? But Mr. Davenport had been single for the longest time, so maybe it didn't always happen like that. "Ex-girlfriend, then."

The statement triggered another laugh from Douglas, this one only lasting a few seconds. "Kid, she's not my ex-anything! I was drunk, found her drunk in a bar as well, and spent the night with 'er. You jus' happened to show up nine months after tha'. Same thing with Bree and Chase. Probably have a few more kids out there, but I've never met 'em."

Adam stared at Douglas, who was still giggling a bit. "I was an accident?"

Douglas shrugged, grinning. "A happy accident."

Adam nodded, but the revelation still stung. He hadn't been wanted at all. He just accidentally existed. All those years spent thinking that he had been specially created, wasted.

He ground his teeth as Yahn looked at him sympathetically. Now wasn't the time to think about that. He would have to do it later, when he had some privacy. "I want to meet Sandra," he insisted.

Douglas' amusement faded. He scratched between Yahn's wings as he responded. "No."

"Why not?" Adam pressed.

"Because I said so," Douglas snapped, his eyes narrowing.

Adam picked up Oly and held her out to Douglas. "Would you say no to this face?"

"What the hell?" Oly growled, struggling a bit.

"I say no to tha' face all the damn time," Douglas answered. He set his beer bottle down and took her from Adam's hands, cradling her against his chest with a smile as he cooed, "You're a mischievous little shit."

Adam rolled his eyes. Drunk Douglas was hard to deal with. "If you let me meet her once," Adam bargained, "I'll never bring it up again."

Douglas glanced at Adam thoughtfully as he placed Oly on his lap next to Yahn. Both imps hissed and shoved a bit at one another, competing for their master's full focus instead of sharing it like they were at the moment. "Stop it," Douglas ordered quietly, causing both to wince and go still. Douglas let out another sigh. "You're never going to let this go, are you?"

Adam shook his head. "I can't."

Douglas rubbed his eyes, a tired expression on his face. "Give me a couple of days to get 'er back here. But I'm only going to do this once. And don't expec' me to play nice."

Adam nodded vigorously, nervousness and excitement mixing in his belly. He was *finally* going to meet his mother, even if she hadn't wanted him!

Yahn raised his head. "You'll want to get that in writing, Adam. Master won't remember this in the morning."

"I'll 'member it," Douglas defended.

"Actually," Adam said, "I _would _feel better if you wrote it down."

Douglas rolled his eyes, but picked up a pencil and some paper. He hastily scribbled out a message and handed it to Adam. "There. Don't say I never did anythin' for you." He picked up his bottle and drank again before pinching the bridge of his nose. "Can't believe you're going to make me do this."

Adam read the barely-legible paper before nodding. "Thanks."

Douglas just grunted in response.

Meanwhile, hidden in the top corner of the room, two spiders clung to a new web, listening to everything that had happened beneath them.

* * *

><p><strong>So…who's ready to meet Sandy?<strong>

**Anyone?**

**Wait, why am I asking you? You're going to whether or not you're ready. xD**

**So, until then, feel free to review. Or don't. Not a shit given. xD**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six! Yay!**

**It's filler! Boo!**

**Never mind, though. Fillers take us places.**

**Thanks to all my readers, reviewers, and various trolls. I love trolls. :P**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport:**** "Please don't cut my mom. :c"**

**"****And this card is mine now!"**

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** "It's not. I'm not talking to myself. I'm talking to an instinct that didn't fully take hold and is acting as a thought process instead."**

**Gg180000:**** Douglas playing nice was how the kids were born in the first place. ;3 Also, in the course of writing this, my mind decided to take it too far and made me think of possible kinky shit Douglas could be into based on his personality. You need to be a special kind of person to be interested by it, though. xD**

**j. liz. 8:**** If Leo so ordered it, Ysthry would have to spy. Remember, he's in charge of her will.**

**Anywho, who's ready for the morning after? Mr. Davenport?**

**"****Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_There are lots of things sons shouldn't imagine about their mothers, above all what it was like to become one." _

**Bauvard****_, The Prince Of Plungers_**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_And what if-what are you if the people who are supposed to love you can leave you like you're nothing?" _

**Elizabeth Scott****_, The Unwritten Rule_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chase<em>**

Do you know how to piss off a spider?

I do.

Ysthry and I weren't even trying to piss it off. We were just casually chilling on its web, and it decided to throw a hissy fit. Therefore, we had to shoo it off with our awesome skills – lots of spider legs flailing about – and, for good measure, I tore up its old web and made a new one.

Can I just say that shooting web thread out of your ass and building with it is fun? I spelled out a dozen cuss words just for the hell of it. I doubted anyone would be able to see them – they were just a strand wide, so everyone would likely think it was a coincidence. Ysthry rolled her many, many eyes, but didn't say anything. She was a freaking buzz kill to spy with, I swear. All she did was stand around on my web, watching the actual spider that was staring at us angrily from the ceiling. I didn't know why Leo insisted that Ysthry go with me, but whatever made him feel better.

But the conversation Douglas and Adam had kind of put a damper on things, though. I hadn't ever thought that I was adopted.

Wait, would that qualify as adoption, or just my mother – whoever she was – signing over custody?

Who cared? I was a bastard born of a one-night stand! We all were!

That meant that the next morning saw me moping about the house. Good thing it was Saturday, because I didn't quite feel like going to school. I hadn't told Bree about last night yet, so she was floating around the house like a ray of fucking sunshine due to a date she had with Owen later. It was _so_ irritating. Why couldn't she be lost in a cesspool of unhappy thoughts like the rest of us?!

Hello: Courtesy?

Tasha kept glancing at me curiously as I ate my cereal, obviously wanting to ask what was wrong but waiting for me to bring it up myself. Something about her not wanting to be too pushy, I supposed. Leo sat on the couch, reading a book about various applications of magic throughout history, Ysthry reading over his shoulder even though I was willing to bet that she didn't care. He hadn't brought up last night despite the fact that I was sure that Ysthry had told him everything. I was glad about that. I didn't want to talk about it yet.

I didn't want to talk about it _ever._

I mean, as upsetting as it was that I wasn't supposed to exist, I was more resentful than anything else. My mother gave me up? Wasn't I important to her? Did I just not matter?

I mean, what the hell, lady? I was great!

My tail lashed a bit. Who in their right mind would give up someone like me?

Or Bree, for that matter?

At least we were doing better than Adam. His mother just tossed him out like he was trash. I knew it shouldn't, but that made me feel slightly better.

Speaking of Adam, he was sitting beside me, half-listening to Bree babble about who-cared-what and studying the little paper Douglas had given him. Yahn was sitting in his lap, his yellow eyes half-closed while Adam patted his head. At the table, Mr. Davenport was arguing with Oly over why dead birds weren't great decorations to hang from the rafters.

_They seem nice to me. They would drip blood everywhere._

_Your input isn't required, _I informed my voice.

_What's the matter? Upset that your mother didn't want you? Man up, Growing Pains. You've gone this long without her. Why does it matter now?_

I pinned my ears and growled, drawing curious stares from everybody. I faked a smile. "Sorry. Just thinking about an invention that I can't get to work right."

"What invention?" Mr. Davenport asked as most everybody else went back to doing their own things.

I perked my ears. "I didn't tell you?" When he shook his head, I nodded. "Then it probably wasn't your business."

Tasha shot me a look. "Watch your mouth, young man."

I gave her a thumbs up before returning to my cereal. Cheerios were floating around in the milk like tiny life preservers. I forced them below the surface with my spoon as I finally answered my voice. _It just does, okay?_

_No, it doesn't._ I swore that I heard my voice scoff. Can a thought process scoff? Well, it scoffed. _You see that woman in the kitchen over there? _She's _more of a mother to you than your birth mother ever was. Why does the latter matter when you have a mother right here?_

Holy hell, my voice was being helpful? Was that even possible? I drowned a few more Cheerios with my spoon. _You're…actually right._

_Of course, _it scoffed again. _I'm always right. You just don't listen._

I rolled my eyes and popped a spoonful of the now-soggy cereal in my mouth, feeling a bit better. Who cared who that bitch was? She didn't matter anymore. She chose to walk away, and I have a pretty nice life as it was.

So kiss my ass, other Mom!

Adam's mother, though, was another story. She had actually showed back up. So what did she want? Whatever it was, I wasn't exactly buying that she just wanted to be involved in Adam's life again. She had eighteen years to search for him, and she's just _now _turning up?

Granted, we were hidden for fifteen years. And Douglas had faked his own death.

Shut up! She could've tried harder!

Some grumbling sounded from upstairs, followed by Douglas rubbing his forehead as he descended to the living room. "Shut up, Oly," he huffed just as she was loudly declaring that the plumage of the dead birds would be nice to rub between someone's fingers when they were so inclined. She growled and fell silent, wincing a bit.

"Someone's in a bad mood today," Tasha pointed out from the kitchen, smiling a bit.

Douglas glared at her as he shuffled into the kitchen and poured some coffee. "I'm fine," he muttered.

A moment of silence followed before Adam cautiously started speaking. "So, Douglas…any idea where to begin looking for Sandra?"

"Who's Sandra?" Bree asked, frowning.

"I haven't even been up for thirty minutes, kid," Douglas huffed. "I'll find her later."

"Hello? Sandra? Who is she?" Bree insisted.

"Someone who's going to help Adam with a project," came the response.

Nice cover, Douglas.

"You said you'd start looking first thing in the morning," Adam pressed.

Douglas glanced at him. "Seriously? That doesn't sound like something I'd say."

Adam sighed and picked up the paper, holding it up a bit as he read it aloud. "I promise to find Sandra as soon as I wake up tomorrow. Wait, I just thought of something. You know how some alcohol is called 'spirits?' Is it because they keep ghosts in the bottles? How would you even know if you were drinking a ghost? I guess the Ghostbusters would know. Does anyone remember their phone number? Also, would –"

"Okay," Douglas interrupted amid the snickering that had erupted throughout the room. "That _does _sound like something I'd say."

Tasha was grinning widely as she handed a couple of pain pills to Douglas, who thanked her quietly. "You know, Douglas, alcohol doesn't solve your problems."

Douglas smiled slightly. "Neither does water."

"What problems?" Bree asked, tilting her head.

Douglas narrowed his eyes as he swallowed the pills. "Do I have 'open book' tattooed across my forehead?"

Bree rolled her eyes.

Adam cleared his throat. "So…Sandra…?"

"I'm on it," Douglas sighed.

Mr. Davenport raised his eyebrow. "Are you sure about this person helping Adam with his project?"

"Don't question me," Douglas responded dramatically. "I know what I'm doing here!"

I laid my spoon down and jumped out of my chair before climbing on top of the counter. "Hail the overlord! He who knows everything and regrets nothing!"

An apple pegged me in the chest. "Shut up, Half-Breed!" Oly snapped from the table.

I pinned my ears and growled, picking up the apple to throw it back. However, Tasha pulled on my pant leg, catching my attention. "Get down from there. You're going to leave footprints on the counter."

I sighed and climbed down, sitting in my chair and picking up my spoon again. "I'm coming after you, Oly," I declared, pointing at her with my spoon. Besides, I still had to teach Leo strategy. What better way to learn than to fight with an imp?

Oly flipped me off, rolling her eyes.

Douglas snorted a bit before gesturing at Adam. "Let's go find Sandra, I guess."

Adam stood up and followed Douglas as he headed towards the elevator. Yahn jumped onto his shoulder as Douglas pressed the button and leaned against the wall to wait. Bree, meanwhile, turned in her chair to face Leo. "Ready to learn some more today?"

Leo sighed. "Do I have a choice?"

"No," Bree answered, standing up. "Let's go!"

"Keep it down," Douglas huffed as the elevator dinged and the door opened.

"Your hangover isn't our problem," I informed him loudly as he stepped into the elevator.

Douglas opened his mouth to respond, but Bree cut him off by zipping into the elevator in less than a second and pressing the 'hold door' button. "Let's go, Leo."

Leo sighed again and closed his book, laying it on the coffee table before he stood and shuffled towards the elevator. Ysthry wrapped her tail around his arm as he crossed the room and entered the elevator after Douglas and Adam. When the doors closed, I lowered my ears. "So," I asked no one in particular, "what's going on today?"

"I have to spend the day at the office," Mr. Davenport informed me. "One of my supervisors was skimming money off of the top of the budget. Until I find a replacement, I have to handle his job."

"Fun," I answered.

Tasha shrugged. "I'm not doing anything. Want to do something with me?"

I perked my ears at her. "Like what?"

"We'll think of something," she answered.

Oly started laughing. "Little Susie home-maker wants to play with dollies!"

Tasha threw an orange at Oly, knocking the imp off of the table.

I snickered. Maybe we could throw things at Oly all day. That might be fun.

* * *

><p><strong>Behold, the shitty ending!<strong>

**However, this filler chapter means that we're going places!**

**Woohoo!**

**So, until I actually ****_do _****take it places, feel free to review. Or don't. You know I don't care. :3**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	7. Chapter 7

**Here we are, Chapter Seven!**

**XD Yay, progress!**

**So I'd like to thank my readers and reviewers. But not the one that turned that banshee loose outside. It keeps screaming in the most irritating manner.**

**j. liz. 8:**** Not everyone in this universe summons. That's for a reason, but you won't find it out until later.**

**Gg180000:**** "Right?! She's such a douche sometimes!"**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport:**** "Yay! A hug!"**

***snaps the card in half* "Poke me now, bitch!"**

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** "…I like Tasha….No, you know what? You're always pulling on my tail or trying to get my ear torn again or ****_something! _****I'm getting the broom. You stay there. I'll be back to beat the crap out of you with the straw end."**

**"****Zara? Aren't you going to stop him?"**

**Stop what, Tasha? I'm just looking over here, minding my own business.**

**RissA15****: **_"I feel sorry for Adam. But at least now I know where he gets his 'stupid curiosity' from…."_

**I was wondering if anyone caught that.**

**Anyways, let's get on with it. Bree?**

**"****Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

><p><em>"Oh, Satan, you're a wily one."<em>

**Craig Ferguson**

* * *

><p><em>"Tempted to type meaningless twaddle all the time on Twitter...with alliteration, no less!"<em>

**E.A. Bucchianeri**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Douglas<em>**

"Leo,_ concentrate_," Bree huffed. "It's not that hard."

"Because you've been doing it for years," Leo whined.

Douglas physically bit his tongue to keep himself from lashing out at both of them. Each time they talked, his head throbbed. It wasn't splitting, but it was enough to annoy the hell out of him. The bright lights of the Lab weren't helping, either.

Donald should have installed a light dimmer. Darkening the room would help a bit.

Why did alcohol have to cause hangovers?

Hell, why did everything have a catch? Couldn't something fun exist without consequences? Life would be better that way.

Douglas turned his eyes - and bad mood - back to the computer screen in front of him. Adam just _had_ to meet Sandra, didn't he? It would be too easy for the kid to just let it go. As Douglas typed a few more things into the computer, Adam leaned in to read it curiously. Good thing that Adam didn't understand the first thing about complicated computer tasks, or he would figure out that Douglas had typed complete nonsense.

See, Douglas had a plan. If he could convince Adam that he was searching for long enough, then the desire to meet Sandra would be forgotten. It would likely take a few weeks, but Adam would find something else to hold his interest eventually.

Leo yelped and fell over from his perch on one foot - Bree had insisted on doing yoga to increase Leo's sense of balance, flexibility and physical strength (but mainly because Leo was sore from yesterday and she wanted to loosen his muscles up) - causing Douglas to wince. Stupid hangover.

"You have to tense _all_ of your muscles to do the warrior three pose right," Bree instructed as Leo picked himself up. "It'll make balancing easier."

"Can't we just go back to those dog poses?" Leo groaned.

Douglas scoffed before he could stop himself. "You can't even do _those_ right."

Leo scowled. "I can do those just fine. Right, Bree?"

Bree hesitated for a second before she cleared her throat. "Anyways, let's run through the warrior poses again."

Leo huffed indignantly at the unspoken insult, but he sank into a half-decent warrior one pose.

Douglas shook his head a bit and looked at the computer again only to find Ysthry curled up on the keyboard, her eyes half-closed. Sighing, Douglas picked her up - she hissed in protest, her acidic spit dripping on the floor - and put her on the ground for the fourth time that morning. Why did keyboards have to be so warm and inviting? "Control your imp, Leo."

"She's not doing anything," Leo responded, smirking.

Douglas picked up a pencil and got ready to throw it at Leo when Adam giggled a bit, messing with his phone. "You can stop, Douglas. I found Sandra."

Yahn nodded from his perch on Adam's shoulder. "This thingy called Facebook is neat!"

Fucking social media! It undermined his entire plan! "What's she saying?" Douglas asked through ground teeth.

Adam shrugged. "She hasn't accepted my friend request yet." He stood up. "Thanks, anyways." Adam patted Douglas' shoulder and trotted away through the tunnel.

"So...what project did Adam need help with?" Bree asked, catching Douglas' attention. She had Leo in the middle of sunrise salutation, a pose that made Douglas think of ancient statues and rituals every time he saw it.

Not that Leo was doing it right. His front heel was behind his knee instead of directly under it.

Douglas sighed. "Who cares, Bree?"

"She's just asking," Leo pointed out.

"And _I_ care," Bree added. "Adam doesn't do projects until the last minute. And he _definitely _wouldn't put this much effort into it."

Was she always that observant? Douglas frowned at her and pointed at Leo, who was dropping the pose. "Aren't you supposed to be teaching this kid to defend himself?"

Bree put her hands on her hips, rolling her weight back on one heel. Oh, great; here it comes. "I have just as much a right as everybody else to know what's going on around here! If anybody else asked, you would answer them!"

"No, I wouldn't, Your Highness," Douglas responded, rolling his eyes.

Leo frowned. "Your Highness?"

"Because she's being a drama queen," Douglas explained, chuckling a bit. Leo started laughing, too, but a glare from Bree silenced him with a glare that Douglas was all too familiar with. He leaned forward. "Okay, listen: It's not that I'm playing favorites. I just think that some things are better left unknown."

Bree raised an eyebrow. "Because that tactic worked _so_ well for the Soviet Union."

Douglas smiled. "I'm starting to think that this whole family is just a pack of smartasses."

Bree rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me, then. It's not like anyone ever tells me anything, anyways." With that, she turned on her heel and stormed through the tunnel entrance.

"That's not fair, Bree!" Douglas tried, but she was out of sight before he could say anything else. _Damn it,_ he thought. She'd likely be mad for the next week.

Leo sat on the cyber desk, frowning. "Nice parenting."

"Leo, I will hurt you someday," Douglas hissed, glaring at his nephew.

Leo shrugged, ignoring the threat. "What are you going to do when Adam meets his mother? Wait up all night, sitting in a chair with the invisibility cloak so that you can pop out after he gets home?"

_There_ has _to be a story behind that invisibility cloak thing,_ Douglas thought. He'd have to ask later, though. "What's this about Adam's mother?"

"Sandra," Leo elaborated. "I know she's Adam's mother."

Douglas sat in silence for a moment, just staring at Leo. How in the _hell_ did he know that? Finally, Douglas sighed. "Who told you that?"

Leo shrugged again. "Who cares?"

On an impulse, Douglas stood and grabbed the collar of Leo's shirt, pulling him right up to his face. "It fucking matters," he snarled. "Who told you?"

A sudden sharp pain on his ankle made Douglas let go of Leo in surprise. He knew that burning sensation anywhere: Acid had gotten on his skin somehow.

Forgetting everything, he bolted to the Lab's safety shower - shedding every article of clothing from the waist down except for his boxers - and pulled the cord, releasing torrents of water from overhead. The burning was relieved seconds after the water reached his ankle, but he stayed under the downpour. One couldn't be too careful with acid, which meant that he would be staying in the water until it shut off in about ten minutes.

He was having such a great hair day, too.

By the cyber desk across the Lab, Leo was laughing uncontrollably while he picked Ysthry up. "You shouldn't lick people."

Ysthry climbed onto Leo's shoulder and nudged his cheek with her nose. "He was going to hurt you."

Douglas glared at her. "No, I wasn't. Tell your psychotic imp, Leo."

Leo's eyes widened dramatically. "I felt that my safety was at risk!" He smiled and rubbed Ysthry's chin with his finger. "Thank God you were here to protect me!"

Ysthry shifted from one foot to the other repeatedly with contentment.

"Anyways, have fun with your shower," Leo said with a smirk as he started towards the tunnel.

Douglas ground his teeth as he wiped water out of his eyes. "You still haven't told me how you know about Sandra!"

"Your room has a spider problem," Leo answered vaguely over his shoulder before he disappeared.

Douglas ground his teeth. Stupid kid. What the hell was _that_ supposed to mean?

He'd worry about that later. Right then, the fact that Adam had found Sandra was more important. Whatever she wanted with Adam, he was making it easier to get. But what was it, exactly?

Whatever it was, Douglas didn't want to have to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of Adam finding out that his mother was a bitch.

The elevator door slid open, catching his attention as Tasha and Chase stepped out, laughing and holding some black fabric. They froze when they saw him, Tasha going so far as to pull a face.

Hurtful. She was hurtful.

"What?" Douglas snapped. "Can't a man shower in his boxers without being questioned?"

"We'll come back later, then," Chase said slowly, holding his hands up as they backed into the elevator again.

When the door closed, Douglas rolled his eyes. Where was he?

Oh, yeah: The Sandra problem.

He sighed. Keeping them separated hadn't worked. So now what?

* * *

><p><strong>Damn you, Facebook!<strong>

**So, Adam found Sandy without Douglas' help. **

**And what the hell is Tasha and Hellcat doing?!**

**Next time, guys. Next time. **

**So, until then, feel free to review. Or don't. I don't care. :3**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	8. Chapter 8

**Here we are, Chapter Eight!**

**So here we go! **

**Ready to learn what Sandra has to say?**

**Before that, let's do this.**

**I'd like to thank you for reading, reviewing, or generally showing up. Why? Because why not?**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport:**** "Your card is gone! Ha ha ha ha!"**

**Gg180000:**** "…I didn't want to know that…"**

**RissA15:**** Stuff. They're doing stuff.**

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** Ysthry likes warm things. :3**

**So, let's do this. Sandy?**

**"****Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Things come apart so easily when they have been held together with lies." _

**Dorothy Allison****_, Bastard Out of Carolina_**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_The visionary lies to himself, the liar only to others." _

**Friedrich Nietzsche**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Adam<em>**

Usually, Bree was the one glued to her phone. However, Adam was giving her a run for her money as he waited for Sandra to respond to his friend request. He sat on the couch, opening his Facebook app every few seconds. Yahn was sitting in Adam's lap, tilting his head as he watched the strange television show about ghosts Bree was watching. Adam didn't understand it, to be honest. He couldn't imagine how boring it would be to just float around for eternity after dying with only one person to talk to. He would rather find out what else was going on after someone died. There had to be more, right?

Yahn snapped his beak together loudly. "Why do ghosts talk to her? And who cares what they have to say, anyways? They're _dead."_

"Shut up," Bree snapped, turning up the television. "I like Medium."

Yahn rolled his eyes.

Adam scratched behind Yahn's ear. "I don't get it, either."

"You're going to get it if you don't stop talking," Bree huffed.

"Don't you usually watch this show with Master?" Yahn asked, frowning.

Bree glared at him. "I don't have to watch everything with Douglas!"

_Someone's angry,_ Adam thought. "Bree? Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm _busy,"_ she growled, watching the television now to signal that she wasn't going to respond anymore.

Yahn looked up at Adam. "I still don't get it," he whispered.

"We don't need to," Adam responded. "That's the magic of TV."

"That's not really magic," Yahn pointed out.

Adam tilted his head. "Well, it's like –"

His phone buzzed in his hand, cutting Adam off. He unlocked the screen and opened Facebook app only to find a notification that his friend request had been accepted. _Finally!_ His message icon lit up after a few seconds, making him smile. Sandra wanted to talk to him! He nudged Yahn. "This is it."

Yahn patted Adam's hand. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Adam nodded immediately. He was so close. He had to see this through, even if it was just for closure. He opened the message.

_Hello, Adam!_

Adam felt himself grin stupidly. He rapidly typed a response. _Hi! How are you?_

Adam was aware that he looked like a fool as he waited for Sandra to answer. He was clutching his phone, practically shaking with anticipation. Bree shot him a look out of the side of her eyes as a new message popped up. _I'm good. Glad I finally get to meet you! I've been looking for you for years._

Adam frowned. _For years?_

_Douglas wouldn't let me see you, _Sandra explained. _I tried to see you last year, but he sent me away._

Yahn poked Adam's phone screen. "She's lying. She never showed up last year."

Adam hesitated. Why would she lie? She was his mother. That had to count for something, right? He patted Yahn's head reassuringly. "Maybe she showed up before Douglas figured out how to summon you."

Yahn frowned. "I don't know, Adam."

"I'm sure it's fine," Adam responded before he sent another message. _Well, you did leave me on his doorstep. He was probably being protective._

_I left you on his doorstep because I had no choice, _came the answer. _I couldn't afford to raise you. We would've starved, and I couldn't let that happen. So I gave you up to him for your own good._

"Adam," Yahn started again. "That doesn't seem a little _cliché _to you?"

"What seems cliché?" Bree asked, finally speaking to them.

"Sandra's story," Yahn explained.

Bree sighed heavily. "Who the hell is Sandra?"

"She's –"

Adam thumped Yahn on the back of the head. He couldn't tell Bree. Not yet. Yahn glanced up at him quizzically. However, Adam just shrugged. "Sandy's just someone who's going to help me with a project."

Bree glared at him for several seconds before she stood up and bolted upstairs, her super speed creating a breeze that ruffled Adam's shirt a bit before she was gone.

Yahn was quiet for a second before he poked Adam's arm. "I don't like Sandra. Something isn't right about this."

Adam felt himself bristle. Sure, he just met Sandy, but she was his mother, damn it! "You don't have to be here, Yahn."

Yahn stood up in his lap. "Adam, I think that she's hiding something."

Adam sighed and put his phone down. "Yahn, it's _fine."_

"Adam-"

Adam picked Yahn up and put him on the couch beside him before picking up his phone and standing. "You stay here, then." He walked off, ready to send another message to Sandra, but she had already sent a second one. _I'm sorry about that. I wish I hadn't had to give you up._

_I understand, _Adam sent back. What mother would abandon her kid without a drastic reason like that, right? He knew that she cared. She had to care. She was his mother.

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_I also think he is given to disguises...Sometimes he wears spectacles and sometimes he does not. And twice he has worn an extremely peculiar hat. Inside." _

**Julia Quinn,**_**What Happens in London**_

* * *

><p><em>"'<em>_And I'm not spying! I'm evaluating!'"_

_"'__It's the same difference!'" _

**Kim Harrison****_, Early to Death, Early to Rise_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chase<em>**

I perked my ears, leaning on the counter. Tasha tilted her head, frowning with me as we watched Yahn pace on the kitchen island, muttering to himself in Aramaic. Irritatingly enough, dead languages weren't programmed into my translator. Guess it didn't cross Douglas' mind when he was making it.

Speaking of Douglas, he had come upstairs ten minutes earlier, but had yet to put on pants. Tasha was trying hard not to look at him without shaking her head. He had already wrapped his ankle – whatever had happened to it – so I was pretty sure that he just wanted to walk around without pants on for a while. He was currently sitting on the couch, staring sideways at Yahn. "What's your problem?"

"Sandra," Yahn snorted. "I don't like her."

"She's just helping with a school project," Douglas said carefully, shooting me a look.

"No, she's Adam's mother," I corrected.

Both Douglas and Tasha gave me a surprised look. I shrugged. "I was chilling in the corner of your room as a spider last night. Heard everything."

Douglas nodded slowly. "Okay, then." He glanced at Yahn again. "What about Sandra?"

"She fed Adam a sob story about not being able to afford to feed him when he was a kid," Yahn scoffed. "Worse, he ate it up!"

Tasha frowned. "That seems a little…_cliché._"

"I knew that whore couldn't be trusted," Douglas snapped.

"Watch your language," Tasha huffed.

Douglas rolled his eyes.

"What does she want, though?" I asked.

"Who cares?" Yahn growled at me. "As long as Adam's buying her stories, she's going to get whatever it is she's trying to use him for."

I lowered my ears. "I could chill around as a spider again."

"Guys," Tasha cut in, "as long as they don't meet each other, it's not a problem."

"How long do you think it will be before they meet?" Douglas growled. "She's his mother. It's not going to be hard for her to convince him to –"

Adam slid down the stair railing, cutting him off. "I'm going out," he announced, grinning.

"Where?" I asked, perking my ears at him.

"Yogurt shop," Adam answered. "I'll be back later." With that, he trotted through the door.

Oly fell from among the rafters, landing on the back of the couch near Douglas. "That happened faster than you expected, right?"

"What were you doing up there?" I asked.

Oly snapped her beak shut loudly. "Who cares?"

Tasha raised her hand. "I care."

"No one asked you," Oly growled.

"And now, you're annoying me," Douglas huffed. "Go follow Adam until he gets home."

Oly huffed and winced, but took a flying leap through the window after Adam.

"Now what?" I asked. "We just wait?"

"Now," Tasha said, "Douglas puts pants on."

"Don't inhibit my freedom!" Douglas stood up, one fist raised. "You can't control me!"

I lowered my ears and covered my eyes, causing my super senses to kick in as Tasha yelped. I could smell everything for a moment, no matter how subtle. Oly had hung a mouse from the rafters – still alive, the poor thing, which pleased my voice greatly – Douglas' injury was still bloody, and Bree was somewhere nearby, likely listening in.

Now, we all knew. Great.

* * *

><p><strong>What the hell does Sandy want?!<strong>

**Also, we still don't know what Hellcat and Tasha were doing.**

**And will Douglas put on pants?**

**Too bad! We must wait! Mua ha ha ha ha!**

**Note: Halloween one-shot is coming, so my updates might come even less often then they already do. It's not going to be scary, just happen around the holiday. :3 Be looking for that.**

**So, until then, feel free to review. Or don't. I don't care. :3**

**And, as always, enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine!**

**Fucking ****_finally, _****Zara!**

**Anywho, here we go! **

**First, as long as we're here, I'd like to thank my readers and reviewers for reading and reviewing. And waiting patiently for the Halloween one-shot. Getting closer….**

**Penaschmidt:**** Mua ha ha ha! Now you are subject to my cliffhangers!**

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** Leoing things up. Actually, he's playing with what Tasha and Hellcat did.**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport:**** "I don't like her, either."**

**Shut up, Douglas.**

**RissA15:**** *sniffle* You know me so well.**

**Gg180000:**** "Chances are that I already have five or six kids. Not every mother bothered to find me. Or they think I'm dead. Either way, I'm sure Adam, Bree and Chase aren't the only ones. And don't tell me what to do. Free the boxers!"**

**Anyways, let's get on with this. Oly?**

**"****Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

><p><em>"And we all know love is a glass which makes even a monster appear fascinating."<em>

**Alberto Moravia, ****_The Woman of Rome_**

* * *

><p><em>"I don't like morning people. Or mornings. Or people."<em>

**Unknown**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Olyanaeci<em>**

Stupid humans

They were _everywhere._ Walking on the streets, sitting in buildings, driving those loud, disgustingly-scented cars. And they _always_ had something to say, no matter how pointless it was. They just _had_ to be heard.

Stupid social creatures.

They couldn't even tell who was stronger than who. What kind of society could function without that?

_A stupid one_, Oly concluded. It was no surprise to her that wars broke out all the time. Unstable things tended to self-destruct.

Speaking of stupid things, who the hell decided that sending a demon to spy on a Charmer was a good idea? Oly was having a hard time focusing on any of the actual conversation between Adam and Sandra without being lulled into a half-assed trance.

Stupid Charmers.

Stupid Master for sending her to spy. He was probably doing something destructive and fun without her.

If she went home and found that he _had_ blown something up, she was going to leave a guinea pig in his underwear drawer.

It was useful to know Master's allergies.

From her perch - clinging on the underside of a table with little lizard hands was always fun - Oly had yet to hear anything interesting from her targets. The only notable things that happened were that Adam had almost kneed her twice, Oly had picked some chewed gum off of the table that landed on Sandra's shoe, and Ms. Sandy kept feeding all of Adam's answers back to him.

"What's your favorite subject in school?"

"I like gym class."

"That was my favorite, too!"

If anyone asked Adam, he had a lot in common with his mother. Both liked the color blue, staring at bugs, Saturday morning cartoons, and so on.

If anyone asked Oly - not that anyone ever did - Sandra was full of shit. No one had everything in common with someone else. She just really wanted Adam to like her for some reason. And, judging by the occasional picture being taken of both her and Adam by random people with some kind of badge around their necks, Oly guessed that Sandy wanted to be liked by Adam publicly.

Not that Oly had a vague idea why. Or that she particularly cared, for that matter.

Adam, though, finally seemed bothered by the pictures. "Sandra, why are these people taking pictures of us?"

The woman in question took a second, but she finally answered him. "Just ignore them, sweetheart. I'm running for city treasurer, so the press tends to follow me around."

Adam - with his very soothing voice - must have been confused about something, because Sandy spent the next thirty minutes trying to explain what a city treasurer was. And how elections worked. And why people voted.

She sounded a bit annoyed by the end of her explanations. Apparently, Sandra wasn't a patient woman. How she managed to track anyone down was stunning.

Oly clawed more gum off of the table and threw it on Sandra's other shoe. This was a boring job. Why couldn't Yahn do it? Or, better yet, Half-Breed? _He_ never had to do _anything._

Stupid humans and their stupid families. If they didn't put so much emphasis on bonding, then Master wouldn't treat Half-Breed with so much favoritism.

Demons weren't supposed to have families. It was unnatural.

At least Half-Breed was more fun to talk to than kiss ass Yahn.

Oly picked some more gum off of the table, this time flinging it discreetly at Adam's shoe. Her spying targets _sucked. _ Why couldn't they talk about something more entertaining than childhood stories? They could discuss devouring the souls of various enemies, starting fires, vandalism, and so on. Oly had a list of fun topics to choose from.

At least she had a bunch of gum and obviously unobservant people to stick it to.

* * *

><p><em>"I hate two-faced people. It makes it harder to decide which side to slap first."<em>

**Unknown**

* * *

><p><em>"I'm only responsible for what I say, not for what you understand."<em>

**Unknown**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Bree<em>**

Google was a wonderful thing.

For example, Bree now had a bit more information about Sandra than she did earlier. All she had to go on at first was a name and the possibility that Sandra was her mother as well as Adam's.

That wasn't enough for her. She had to know more.

Just running a name through a search engine, though, was initially a bigger pain than she thought it would be. As it turned out, several Sandra Pikes existed. It was a problem that vexed her until she realized that she could just search Adam's friends list for a picture of Sandy. After that, the searching was still meticulous and long, but she was able to narrow the results down.

Bree occasionally glanced at Adam's capsule, where Adam himself was snoring loudly. She had to thank whatever caused Chase not to need his capsule anymore. If he were sleeping in the Lab instead of upstairs, he would've caught her already. Super-sensitive hearing caused him to wake up pretty easily.

Thank you, demonic portal thingy. She didn't want anyone knowing that she knew about Sandra yet. They wouldn't answer any of her questions, anyways. Everyone would just keep the information to themselves.

Secretive, excluding bastards. What did she do to deserve being kept in the dark?

This desire to know had triggered her charmed bead more than once - the planes were pretty quiet tonight - and had prompted her midnight digital search. Most of what she found was fairly useless, to be honest. Sandra was an investment banker, was running for city treasurer, had been seen earlier that day spending time with an inner city kid, was -

Hold on a second; was that a picture of Adam?

Bree frowned and clicked on the article about the inner city kid again. Sure enough, there was a picture of Adam and Sandra sitting together at the yogurt shop.

Since when was Adam an inner city kid?

Still frowning, she skimmed the article for key points. Basically, Sandra had been accused of not liking kids, which was putting a slight damper on her campaign for treasurer. After being seen with a kid in public, Sandra went on to claim that she loved kids. And, since she had none of her own, she spent time coaching inner city kids about improving their lives and what not.

_Even though she has no children of her own..._

Wasn't Adam her _son? _ Why wouldn't she admit that?

What the hell was going on here?!

* * *

><p><strong>Taking all theories about Sandra! Bring it on, bring it on! Who's right? Who's wrong? Who hates Sandy now more than ever?<strong>

**"I do!"**

**No one asked you, Douglas.**

**Anyways, feel free to review. Or don't. Whatever works.**

**And enjoy. :3**

***Bows and exits***


	10. Chapter 10

**Woot! Welcome back to Hazy!**

**Before we get started, Zara would like to note something. **

**I make fun of everybody. :P You know it by now. I just do. You fangirls won't stop me!**

**So, remember: Nobody's safe!**

**Anywho, I'd like to thank you patient readers and reviewers. Thank you for not spamming me with requests for me to update repeatedly like douchebags.**

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** I'm gonna hold off on what Hellcat and Tasha did for a while now. :P As for Sandy, she really is Adam's biological mother. No idea why she wouldn't admit it, though…hmm…**

**gg180000: ****Very Accurate.**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport:**** "We agree on things all the time!"**

**"****Name one time."**

**"…****Shut up, Hellcat."**

**Guest:**** Are…are you trying to get Douglas to obey laws?!**

**Anyways, let's get to reading! Adam?**

**"****Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_A bond between souls is ancient - older than the planet." _

**Dianna Hardy****_, The Witching Pen_**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_I find the idea of vigilante justice very attractive. I like the idea that the murderer decides that this person has gone too far, and nothing will happen to him unless she does something to stop him."_

**Donna Leon**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Douglas<em>**

Soft footsteps sounded behind Douglas, causing him to sigh. This had been going on for the past few days. He had left Bree well enough alone when she made her obvious efforts to avoid him, but he wasn't in the mood to let her go again. "Bree?" he called softly.

The sneaking steps stopped.

Douglas nodded towards the television. "Medium is on."

A second of silence followed before Bree finally responded. "No, thanks. I have to train Leo."

"You trained him this morning," Douglas pointed out. "Besides, he's doing something with Hellcat right now." Chase had explained something about tactics training with Oly as the enemy target, but Douglas hadn't paid much attention. Honestly, if they were going to agitate Oly a bit, then he was on board. She needed something like that every now and again to keep her entertained.

"Then I should probably start on my homework," Bree tried again.

Douglas scoffed. "It's Saturday."

Although he didn't actually look back at her, Douglas could imagine the sassy stance she usually adopted when she thought she had a point. She was likely holding the pose as she spoke. "That doesn't mean that I don't have homework."

Douglas smirked. "I happen to know that you paid Leo and Hellcat to do it yesterday." He pointed towards the ceiling. "Imps tend to overhear things when they're just hanging around."

Bree wasn't quite as amused by the pun as Douglas was, because she just sighed heavily. After a few seconds, she tried yet again. "I have to-"

"Please?" Douglas interrupted her. "It's just not the same without someone to help me guess what her visions mean before they tell us."

"You've seen all of these," Bree reminded him.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that I remember it," Douglas responded. "Besides, you should see these twins. They look just like Hellcat when he was little."

Bree was silent for a bit. Douglas was about to look behind him to see if she had left when she plopped on the couch beside him, an action that caused the cushions to bounce a bit. "What twins?"

"Give it a second," Douglas answered. "I can't make them magically come on screen."

Bree rolled her eyes and leaned back against the couch.

Douglas smiled a bit. He had missed his Medium buddy. The commentary they both did when watching made it twice as fun. Once, they had even muted an episode they'd both seen and made their own dialogue up. A lawyer was having an affair with his coffee mug, Allison's eldest daughter had turned into a potato and eloped with a stick of butter, and everyone had admitted that Douglas (and, occasionally, Bree) was awesome by the time it was over.

Long story short, it was a wild ride from start to finish.

Bree's jaw dropped when one of the twins showed up. "Who is that?"

Douglas shrugged and pulled out his phone. A few seconds of Google searching later, he had an answer. "Some kid named Billy Unger." He scoffed and slid the phone back in his pocket. "What a stupid name."

"No kidding," Bree agreed. More loudly, she called, "Hellcat, you're on TV!"

A moment of loud scurrying sounded from over their heads before a Chase poked his head between theirs, balancing on the back of the couch as a cat with his tail flicking. "I swear to God, I didn't plan to light that car on fire..." He went quiet for a few seconds, finally noticing that Medium was on. He tilted his head at the kid. "Who's that look-stealing assclown?"

"Billy Unger," Bree answered, staring at him with wide eyes. She'd been that way since he mentioned the car.

"So he's not just an assclown, but he has a stupid name, too?" Chase shook his head before hissing at the TV. "I'm already rocking that face! Get your own!"

As Chase turned around and wiggled his backside like cats who were about to spring always did, Bree poked his shoulder. "I want to go back to the car thing you said earlier."

Chase shrugged his cat shoulders. "That guy was a dick. He parked in a handicap spot without needing to. It didn't piss me off until he chewed out someone in a wheelchair for calling him on his shit."

Douglas snorted. "Are you worried about getting caught?"

"No one suspects ravens of lighting cars on fire," Chase answered. "I did flip him off before he went in the store, though, so he might suspect me."

"What's wrong with you?" Bree hissed.

"Let him be a vigilante," Douglas defended.

"Yeah, _Bree_," Chase hissed triumphantly. He got ready to spring from the couch again, but Adam walked into the room and scooped Chase up without stopping. Chase pinned his ears. "What the hell?"

Adam just continued to walk to the door with Chase in his arms. "Going to see Sandra again," he called over his shoulder. "Don't wait up."

When the door closed behind him, Bree frowned. "I don't like Sandra."

Douglas nodded. "Join the club."

"I mean, she's Adam's mother, but she claims that he's an inner city kid she's helping," Bree went on.

Douglas' eyes widened. "Who told you that?"

Bree pointed at the ceiling. "I tend to overhear things when I'm just hanging around."

Douglas threw his hands up in exasperation. "I don't know why I try to keep secrets around here." The two were quiet for a second before the rest of what Bree said finally sank in. "What's this about Adam being an inner city kid?"

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Someone who smiles too much with you can sometime frown too much with you at your back." _

**Michael Bassey Johnson**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Man is the cruelest animal." _

**Friedrich Nietzsche**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chase<em>**

"Adam, I don't want to meet your mother," I hissed. "_Especially_ as a cat."

"You don't have to be a cat, you know," Adam responded, still carrying me.

"Yes, I do," I huffed. I could see Sandra in the driveway already, meaning that it was too late for me to change into a more human version of myself without giving my general demonic glory away.

Sandra was standing by her car, waiting for us. To be totally honest, she looked like a nice lady. Maybe Douglas was wrong about her. She smiled broadly at Adam. "Hey, sweety." Then, she reached out and scratched under my chin.

I stretched my neck out and purred. Bite me; chin tickles were nice.

"Who's this little guy?" Sandra asked.

"He's, um, Kitty," Adam decided, at least having the intelligence not to use my actual name.

Still, Kitty? He couldn't have thought of something more masculine?

Sandra pet me for a few more seconds before gesturing at her car. "So, ready to go?"

Adam nodded and patted his pocket before frowning. "Hold on, I forgot to get my keys." Adam put me down. "I'll be right back." With that, Adam jogged back to the house, leaving me alone with a basic stranger.

I flicked my ears around like I was listening to everything and looked around to make myself seem more like a cat than I was. I had even licked my paw and ran it over my face when I heard the front door open and close, signaling that Adam had gone inside.

Out of nowhere, Sandy landed a hard kick to my chest. "Disgusting demon."

Wait, how in the _hell?!_

_Why the hell did you let her kick you, dumbass?_

I scrambled back as she decided to try and kick me again. She kicked _hard_. I arched my back and felt my fur stand on end. Hells yeah! I was a _huge_ kitty! Fuck with me _now!_

She stepped closer, trying to kick me again. Right when she was about to make contact, though, I reared up and sank my claws into her calf, biting her hard. It was very satisfying when I tasted blood.

That was about where my attack ended, though. Sandra shrieked in pain and dug desperately in her purse for something. Whatever she pulled out - I couldn't really see it - was thrown right at me.

And it fucking _hurt_.

I screeched and let go, desperately trying to escape the familiar burn of silver by kicking and rolling on the ground. Unfortunately, it was a jewelry chain of some kind that kept tangling around my legs and brushing my stomach or back no matter how hard I struggled. Desperate and panicking, I took off across the yard as fast as my awkward gait would let me. I kicked and swiped at the chain as often as I could, not even paying attention to where I was going until I ran head-first into the slender branches of tall bushes in the yard.

_Nice going, genius_, my voice praised sarcastically.

Just because I was being scratched by branches _and_ burned by silver now didn't mean that my voice could be a dick about it.

In an attempt to escape the branches, I turned myself into a mouse. I fell down through the bush until I landed on the small space of ground below the branches with a loud squeak of pain. To my extreme relief, the silver chain had tangled in the branches above, its poisonous silver gleam dulled by my blood as it hung. The injuries still burned like a bitch, but at least they wouldn't get worse now.

I just stared at the chain for several seconds, stunned. That bitch attacked me.

What the fucking hell did I ever do to her?!

And how did she know that I was a demon?

Did Adam tell her? He wouldn't do that, would he?

Spots began to dance in my vision. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that I had to get back to the house.

But I was just...so...tired...

_A few minutes_, I thought. _I'll just rest for a few minutes._

I lost consciousness mere seconds after I closed my eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>So, I have Sandy hanging by her ankles, a blindfold, and a baseball bat. Who wants the first swing?<strong>

**How in the hell did she know that Hellcat was a demon?**

**What will Adam do?**

**Will anyone ever find Hellcat passed out in the bushes?**

**_Will we ever find out what Hellcat and Tasha did?!_**

**Guess we'll just have to wait.**

**So, until then, feel free to review. Or don't. Free internet and all.**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	11. Chapter 11

**We're back with chapter 11!**

**So, who wants to find out what happened?**

**I do!**

**First, though, I'd like to thank my silent readers and vocal reviewers. For some reason, two of you wanted the first swing, but only one of you wanted the killing blow. So here's what's going to happen. I have two fire staffs and an arena. Fight for who gets the first shot.**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport:**** "…Twisted. Damn."**

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** Choose your fire staff.**

**gg180000:**** Choose your fire staff, as well.**

**RissA15:**** I didn't say anything about her knowing that he was a hybrid. Just a demon.**

**"…****That guy is ****_not _****me!"**

**Guest:**** Whoa.**

**Whoa whoa whoa.**

**Whoa whoa.**

**Whoa there.**

**Maybe.**

**So, let's get on with it! Tasha?**

**"****Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Negotiation means getting the best of your opponent."_

**Marvin Gaye**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Some things you don't have to promise. You just do." _

**Rick Yancey****_, The 5th Wave_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Leo<em>**

Chase said that he'd be right back.

Sure, Leo had been the one to think of the plan to catch Oly. Chase had pointed out flaws and made Leo think of how to correct them. However, it really was a two-person job.

Why?

Because Oly _might_ be too tricky for one person to handle.

Honestly, he had no idea how she knew what was being planned. All he knew was that she had waved his laptop at him and lured him into the trap when he went after her for it.

Leo had spent the past thirty minutes or so with his arms over his head, tangled in the small net that was supposed to be holding Oly. He had to stand on his toes to keep from putting too much pressure on the joints in his shoulders, so his calves were burning like hell. At least his arms had gone numb.

Ysthry growled, pulling on a bit of the snare with her teeth. She had been trying to free him, but she kept tangling her stingers or hind legs in the trap, so progress was slow.

Oly sat in front of him on the laptop, smirking and throwing small pieces of paper at his face. "Open your mouth," she demanded. "I want to see if I can get something to land in there."

Leo narrowed his eyes. Going after Oly had started off as a learning experience. Now, it was personal.

Oly threw some paper that went down his shirt when he heard Bree and Douglas talking nearby. He was saved! "Hey, help me! I'm -"

Leo broke off in a fit of coughing as Oly sent some paper straight into his mouth. On the floor, Oly started jumping up and down excitedly. "Score!"

"Shut the hell up, Oly!"

Oly winced and fell silent, glaring at Douglas as he rounded the corner with Bree. Bree raised her eyebrow when she saw the lovely situation Leo was in. "Okay, this is a story I _have_ to hear."

Douglas, however, was smiling halfway. "Oly outfoxed you, didn't she?"

Leo felt heat rise in his cheeks as he nodded.

Oly climbed up Douglas and perched on his shoulder, smirking proudly while Douglas rubbed behind her ear. "Clever little shit."

Bree just rolled her eyes. "Douglas, do you have a knife or something?"

"On the desk in my room," he answered.

Bree ran off, creating a breeze that ruffled Douglas' hair. As the man muttered and ran his hand through the spikes, Leo cleared his throat. "Where's Hellcat? He was supposed to be back right after you called him downstairs."

Oly snorted. "He knows that you can't trick me."

Douglas shrugged. "Adam took him outside to meet Sandra, I think. He might be stalking birds or something now."

Leo sighed a bit. Chase _did_ like to pin down birds by the tail before he let them fly away. However, it still didn't make sense to him. It wasn't like Chase to say something and do another.

Unless he was trying to get quick cash. Which, as far as Leo knew, he wasn't.

At Leo's expression, Douglas sighed. "Would you feel better if we found him?" When Leo nodded, Douglas lifted Oly off of his shoulder. "Go find Hellcat, Oly." Oly winced and took off towards the stairs.

"Ysthry, go help her," Leo ordered, feeling bad when she flinched. However, Ysthry took off towards the stairs as well, flapping her wings rapidly.

Bree showed up in a blur of color and wind, holding a pocket knife. "Your desk is a mess," she huffed, glaring at Douglas as she started cutting at the ropes that held Leo prisoner.

Douglas grinned. "It's messy just to annoy the hell out of anyone trying to find anything."

Bree muttered something unintelligible as the thin ropes began to snap, relieving some of the pressure on Leo's shoulders. He was extremely grateful for it. He didn't want his arms to pop out of their sockets. Everything was going quietly when an extraordinarily angry voice reached everyone.

"What happened?!"

Douglas winced, glancing over his shoulder at the irate Tasha, who was staring at her trapped son. "I swear, I didn't do it!"

Tasha raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Shocking that I don't believe that."

"Mom, he didn't do it," Leo defended. "I was trying to catch Oly in a net. She won."

Bree finally sliced enough strings that Leo's weight was able to snap the rest, causing his arms to drop down. He groaned happily, rolling his shoulders as Bree cut through the remaining pieces that held his hands in the net.

Slowly, a pins and needles feeling began to radiate from his arms as blood flow began to be restored to the limbs. It was an unpleasant sensation, but he was glad that his arms weren't going to fall off. Bree was careful not to cut Leo as she finally freed him, folding the knife closed and handing it to Douglas. Leo wiggled his numb fingers as best he could to regain feeling, smiling. "Thank you," he breathed.

Tasha sighed. "Stop playing with dangerous things, Leo. You're going to really get hurt one of these days."

Leo wanted to inform his mother that it was Oly's fault, but said imp charged back into the hall excitedly, holding something in her hands. She beat her wings until she was flying at eye level. "Master, Master, Master-"

_"__What?"_ Douglas asked, obviously annoyed by her antics already.

Oly opened her hands, revealing a mouse with a torn ear and half a tail that looked like someone had taken a tiny branding iron to it. "Half-Breed got into some silver."

Chase twitched his little ears as Douglas scooped him up, opening his eyes slightly. "What happened, Hellcat?"

The answer was squeaky and shook a bit, but it was very hard to mistake what Chase said. "Sandy….Sandy attacked me."

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Your perspective on life comes from the cage you were held captive in." _

**Shannon L. Alder**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Life's full of tricky snakes and ladders."_

**Steven Patrick Morrissey**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Tasha<em>**

Tasha stood at the gated entrance of the driveway for what felt like forever, tapping her foot with her arms crossed. Sandra was going to come back at some point. She _had _to. Adam would want to come home eventually. And Tasha wanted to have a word with her _immediately. _No one hurt her kids.

_No one._

Tasha had been the one elected to confront Sandra since she tended to be the least impulsive. Douglas and Donald had looked like they both wanted to bury a body right then and there. However, they were upstairs helping Chase as much as they could. No one else had been allowed in the room with them, since some of the injuries were near Chase's more intimate areas and they wanted to eliminate anyone who didn't necessarily need to be there for those moments when he was conscious.

Not that it was very often. He was out cold more often than not, according to the last text message update Donald had sent.

On the porch, Bree and Leo sat and watched, waiting for something to be done about the incident. Three robins were bouncing around the porch, tweeting excitedly amongst themselves. Tasha had a feeling that if Sandy knew that Chase was a demon, then she would recognize Oly, Yahn, and Ysthry, too, even if they were birds. How she did it was still a mystery, but they would worry about that later. Right now, she just wanted to make it clear that Sandra wasn't welcome on their property.

A few more minutes passed before a car pulled into the driveway. Tasha stepped out of the gate, but didn't open it to let Sandy get closer. Adam was frowning as both got out of the car. "Tasha? What's wrong?"

Adam always was more observant than most gave him credit for.

Sandy herself was standing near the car, smiling. "Hello, Tasha," she said, stepping forward with her hand extended.

Tasha had thought long and hard about what she wanted to say to Sandra. She wanted tell her that she was a monster. That she was a horrible person who had no business coming around the house again. However, her response was shocking even to her.

Tasha grinned and, without a word, punched Sandra as hard as she could.

Behind her, she could hear Bree cheering and Leo cheering as Adam threw his arms around her to hold her back. Sandra was holding her nose, blood dripping between her fingers. "Why did you do that, Tasha?" Adam yelped.

"Sandra attacked Chase," Tasha hissed loudly.

"You don't understand," Adam immediately defended. "Chase attacked _her."_

* * *

><p><strong>See? Tasha handled it.<strong>

**Don't fuck with a mother's babies. It doesn't work.**

**However, Sandy seems to be playing the sympathy card with Adam.**

**So…what's up with that?**

**Guess we'll have to wait…again….**

**Until then, feel free to review. Or don't. I don't care. :3**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	12. Chapter 12

**So this chapter was finished by Saturday.**

**Why wasn't it posted, you ask?**

**Well, I'll tell you.**

**Getting "please update soon" in all caps in my inbox is irritating as hell.**

**And we all know that irritating Zara is a bad thing.**

**So, being the petty, vengeful bitch I am, I decided to make you wait a few more days.**

**Enjoy.**

**So, in the customary fashion, I'd like to thank my readers and reviewers. And remind you guys that patience is supposed to be a fucking virtue.**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport:**** "Shoo, Mia. I'm pissed at you right now."**

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** …You…you were supposed to fight gg180000 over the right to hit Sandy first…Buzzkills….**

**gg180000:**** I'm not even touching this with a stick.**

**Guest:**** Most excellent question.**

**Hellcat is sterile, as all cross-breeds are.**

**More than that, though, is that demons don't actually take mates or have children. See, Otherworld is total chaos. All the demons are just blobs of essence floating around everywhere. And, of course, chaos begets chaos in the form of new demons just appearing like, "Hello. I exist. :3" So he has the human side of him saying that he should find the lover of his dreams, but the demonic side heavily suppressing the physical manifestations of these. They'll still pop out – you know, finding a girl attractive, random sexual urges, and the like - but nowhere near as often as with a normal teenaged boy.**

**So, after reading that long explanation, let's read this! Adam?**

**"****Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Clever as the Devil and twice as pretty." _

**Holly Black,****_ White Cat_**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Intensely selfish people are always very decided as to what they wish. They do not waste their energies in considering the good of others." _

**Ouida****_, Wanda_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Douglas<em>**

"Say what you want about Tasha, but she has one hell of a right hook," Douglas complimented as he watched the scene unfolding in the driveway below.

Donald nodded. "She can be pretty violent when she wants to be. _Especially_ when it comes to the kids."

Douglas nodded. Just when he thought he had Tasha figured out, she threw him a curve ball. He was glad that she was just his enigmatic sister-in-law instead of his wife. He didn't think he would be able to handle it.

Behind him, Chase mumbled something tiredly and shifted a bit on the bed, likely searching for a more comfortable position to rest in. Honestly, he was probably aggravating at least three injuries no matter how he laid, but there had to be a position that was better than the others. Douglas sighed. "How in the hell did she know?"

Donnie shrugged, frowning. In the driveway, Adam had broken up the fight before it even started. Damn. "Maybe Sandra can see planes?"

Douglas snorted. "Humans can't see planes without magic."

"Adam shouldn't be able to charm demons, either," Donald countered. "Who says that some people can't see planes?"

"No one ever reported it before," Douglas responded. It was a lie, but he just wanted to drop the subject and focus on _why_ Sandra had attacked Chase. That seemed more important than the wild claims of people seeing the planes.

Actually, now that he thought about it, he could see why she had lashed out. Demons were associated with evil, after all. Still, it wasn't like Chase had been threatening her at all.

Well, he probably hadn't been threatening her. Douglas hadn't been there. It was so unlike Chase to pick a fight with a random person for no reason, though, so Sandy had likely been the instigator.

One mistake.

He had made just one drunken mistake.

If it weren't for that, Sandra wouldn't have been around to start shit at all.

Adam wouldn't be around, either. So it was a double-edged sword.

"So what are we going to do about her?" Donald asked, nodding towards Sandra.

"She could be arrested for trespassing," Douglas pointed out, shrugging.

"She assaulted Chase," Donald hissed, obviously not satisfied with the simple trespassing charge.

"With a necklace," Douglas snorted, nodding towards the thin bloody chain on the nightstand. The only reason Douglas hadn't thrown it out was because he wanted Adam to see it. It would serve as an effective deterrent against seeing Sandra again. "The law doesn't protect demons. Hell, it doesn't even acknowledge that they exist."

Donald huffed. "It _should_."

Douglas smirked. "What's wrong, Donnie? Does the Man have his boot up your ass?"

Donald narrowed his eyes. "_No_. I just wish there was something we could do."

"The only way to get rid of her is to get Adam to shoo her away," Douglas mused. "It shouldn't be hard once Adam knows why she wanted to contact him in the first place."

"I say that she should take him," Eddy chimed in, popping up on screen. "And the other three, too."

Douglas rolled his eyes. "Why did you invent this pest?"

Donald's cheeks grew red as he mumbled his answer. "Home security for the kids...and I was lonely."

"You're that much of a loser?" Douglas prompted, raising an eyebrow.

"At least he doesn't keep his pet porcupine on his head," Eddy quipped.

Donald started laughing as Douglas ran a hand through his hair. Stupid computer.

"For fuck sake," Chase groaned, startling both men. With his back still to them, Chase pointed at Eddy drowsily. "Press the black button near his screen."

Donald frowned. "I've been meaning to ask what those were."

Douglas rolled his eyes. "A new button appears near Eddy, but you don't think to ask about it?"

"Did _you_ ask about it?" Donnie challenged irritatingly.

Douglas frowned. "Shut up." Then, he leaned over and pressed a small black square about an inch over his screen. To his ultimate amusement, a thin slat opened just below the button, allowing a piece of black fabric to unroll and cover Eddy's screen.

"Hey!" Eddy protested behind the cloth. "What gives?"

Douglas grinned. "Awesome. When did you do this?"

"A few days ago. Tasha and I were bored," Chase mumbled.

"You know that he's still there, right?" Donald pointed out. "You didn't actually do anything."

Chase snuggled under the covers a bit. "It's just to aggravate him and make us feel better."

"Every screen?" Douglas asked.

"Except the Lab," Chase answered. "We didn't get that one. You were in your boxers, remember?"

Douglas nodded as Mr. Davenport crossed the room and ran a finger over Chase's ear, causing him to flick it irritably. "Watch your language," he chastised gently.

Douglas rolled his eyes. The kid was injured. Was it _really_ the appropriate time to nit-pick at his language?

"What'd Sandy do to Adam?" Chase asked, his words slurred a bit. He likely would've rolled over to face them, but that would aggravate the injuries on his back. Besides, between the painkillers and his general state of weakness, Chase was probably too drowsy to do it effectively without looking uncoordinated as hell. So he pointed an ear in their general direction instead to listen.

"I want to know this, too," Donald seconded, carefully patting Chase's shoulder.

Douglas bit back the protective urge to snap at his brother. _They're his kids_, _too_, he reminded himself firmly. "Then why didn't you ask about it when I brought it up?"

"Because Eddy interrupted," Donald reminded him.

"Can someone move this thing?" Eddy piped up from behind the cloth.

"Anyways," Douglas began pointedly, ignoring Eddy, "The day Sandra and Adam went to that yogurt place, Bree found an article later that night. It says that Adam's just some inner city kid she's helping. The interesting part is that she's running for office -"

"Mayor?" Chase interrupted

"Nothing that grand," Douglas answered. "Just the Treasurer. Anyways, she was accused of not liking kids, which was putting a damper on her campaign. And _that_ accusation came shortly before I saw her at the convention."

"She's using him to save her campaign," Donnie concluded slowly, frowning deeply now.

"She doesn't even want to be associated with him as his mother," Douglas spat bitterly. "I knew this would happen. Once a selfish bitch, _always_ a selfish bitch. Right, Hellcat?"

Chase didn't answer. Instead, Donald shrugged. "We lost him a bit after he asked what she was running for."

Douglas nodded. They'd fill him in later.

"We have to tell Adam about Sandra," Donald started.

Douglas held up a hand. "You and I both know he won't listen. He's too wrapped up in the idea of knowing his mother. Hell, Yahn's been staying with me at night because Adam kicked him out of the capsule for being suspicious."

"Then we have to show him," Donald concluded. "Any ideas?"

"Not yet," Douglas answered, glancing out the window to see Sandra driving off while Tasha and Adam argued about something in the driveway. "Give me a little while, though, and I'll have something. I'm _me_, after all."

Donnie rolled his eyes. "I'm relying on a criminal. Great."

Douglas shrugged, grinning. "Sometimes the only way to win is to out-con the con artist."

"Fine, but I'm going to think up a _legal_ plan while you do that," Donald muttered.

Douglas rolled his eyes. His plan would be leagues better than Donnie's, but if it kept his overbearing brother busy, let him come up with his own.

"Hello?" Eddy called from behind his cloth covering. "Somebody move this thing."

Donald frowned and crossed the room. "How do you get this thing to...?" He pushed the button experimentally and nodded when the cloth was pulled back into the narrow slit and sealed away from view.

"It's about time," Eddy huffed. "Don't you _dare_ do that-"

Douglas reached around Donald and pressed the button, causing the slit to open and drop the cloth over Eddy's screen again.

"Hey!" the program protested.

Douglas smirked. Chase and Tasha were on to something. He _did_ feel better now.

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Teddy said it was a hat, so I put it on. Now dad is saying, "Where the heck's the toilet plunger gone?""_

**Shel Silverstein**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_There are two sides to every issue: One side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil." _

**Ayn Rand**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Adam<em>**

Adam fidgeted a bit under Tasha's disbelieving gaze as Sandra backed out of the driveway, still nursing her bleeding nose with one hand. Several seconds passed before Tasha finally spoke, her voice quiet. "You think that _Chase_ started it?"

"Well, Sandra had teeth and claw marks on her ankle," Adam pointed out.

Tasha's eyes widened. "Probably because he was defending himself! You know that he wouldn't attack unless provoked."

"Maybe that crazy little voice in his head told him to," Adam defended. "He _is_ half-demonic, after all."

"She threw a _silver_ _necklace_ at him, Adam!"

Adam winced at that. Silver could really do some damage. However, Sandra had no clue that Chase was a demon, so she couldn't have possibly known about the dangers. "I'm sure that there's an explanation for that," Adam began. "Maybe it fell out of her purse or something."

"No intelligent woman would keep jewelry in her purse for no reason," Tasha growled.

Adam had to resist the urge to back up a few steps. Tasha looked menacing between her glare, aggressive stance and the fresh memory of her throwing a hard punch at Sandra. Instead, he crossed his arms. "Are you calling Sandra a liar?"

"_Yes_," Tasha hissed. "Are _you_ calling _Chase_ a liar?"

"He's definitely not as honest as he used to be," Adam countered. "I've lost about a hundred dollars to him. Who says that he isn't making everything up just because he wants Sandra gone? I know that none of you like her. Who says that he didn't get into one of _your_ silver necklaces _on purpose?"_

Tasha looked incredulous. "Why would he do that to himself!?"

"Maybe he's jealous that I have a mother and he doesn't!"

Tasha suddenly winced like she'd been slapped. Adam frowned for a few seconds, confused. Why would...?

Oh, hell. He basically said that he had replaced Tasha like it was nothing. That she would _never_ be their mother. Adam unfolded his arms as he felt the blood rush to his face in shameful embarrassment. "Tasha, I didn't mean-"

Tasha held her hand up, cutting him off as she spoke in a quiet voice again. "You believe a woman you've only known for a few days over your own brother?"

Adam shrugged helplessly. "I don't know what to believe."

Tasha pursed her lips and nodded. "Just checking." With that, she turned and walked back in the gate, her stride making it obvious that the conversation was over.

He watched as Bree and Leo started asking her questions when she reached the porch with three birds bouncing around her feet and sighed, running his hand through his hair.

No matter what he did or said, it was somehow always _wrong._

Maybe he should just stop talking forever.

* * *

><p><strong>There. We finally found out what Hellcat and Tasha did.<strong>

**Was that really worth panicking over? It wasn't all that great.**

**Anyways, when will Adam learn that people lie?**

**Well, guess we'll have to find out later, won't we?**

**Until then, feel free to review. Or don't. Just don't annoy me in my inbox, which is really a simple request.**

**And, of course, enjoy. :3**

***Bows and exits***


	13. Chapter 13

**Here we are, chilling at chapter thirteen!**

**Thank you for not irritating the hell out of me with update messages. :3**

**And, of course, thank you, readers and reviewers. :3 I'll now…um…sparkle wildly.**

***sparklesparklesparkle***

**RissA15:**** *dons the cone of shame for missing your last review***

**gg180000:**** Yes, but how is that going to stop Adam from seeing Sandra, hmm?**

**Also, that's just human nature. Proof: In an elevator, look at a stranger. Don't stare, just look at them. They'll freak out. :3**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport: "Wait, come back!"**

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** I didn't say that they did something exciting. You created that hype yourself. **

_"…__At least *I* didn't your PM inbox with updating. But I will say that I'm looking forward to the next update."_

**Don't kiss ass.**

**DarkestKing:**** I was wondering when you'd pop back up. Currently, the army is outside the fence of the area, so we're not in danger just yet. Also, Sandy's still tied up. Have at it.**

**So, with that done, let's read. Tasha?**

**"****Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

><p><em>"The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up."<em>

**Mark Twain**

* * *

><p><em>"Men are what their mothers made them."<em>

**Ralph Waldo Emerson**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chase<em>**

You know what rocked about being injured?

Nothing.

However, when I turned into a cat and curled up on the couch like a total sad sack to watch the news with Tasha, she relocated me to her lap. I normally wasn't fond of people treating me like a common house cat, but I figured I could put up with it just that once.

Totally because Tasha looked like she was down about something, mind you. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was rubbing my shoulders.

Okay, maybe it had a little to do with the shoulder rubbing.

Bite me. I was jumped by a bitch. I _deserved_ a shoulder rub.

Tasha's mood made my purring a bit uncomfortable, though. I kind of wanted to ask her what happened that ruined her usually good mood, but she didn't really look like she wanted to talk. I honestly debated pissing Douglas off enough to get him to cuss extensively at me - he could actually get pretty creative sometimes; my personal favorite was when I accidentally caught his hair on fire and he called me a "fucking rainbow-studded, dick-fiddling ass cork" as he frantically put it out - so that Tasha could chew him out and feel a bit better, but I eventually decided against it.

If I made him _too_ mad, I didn't think I would be able to outrun him in my current condition. I wasn't looking to have the tip of my other ear torn off just yet.

Besides, if Adam's desperation to get out of the room when he saw Tasha was anything to go by, Douglas actually had next-to-nothing to do with the problem.

I couldn't dismiss the possibility that Douglas could be at least somehow involved. He was Douglas, after all. Being at the root of problems was in his job description. That, and I hadn't seen him since yesterday when I was swimming between awake and out cold, which was never a good sign.

To be honest, I was kind of waiting for some kind of explosion or something that would take out a wall or two. I'd have to see how the day played out.

I was jerked back to reality by Tasha, whose hand accidentally brushed a silver burn on my back. I jumped a bit at the stinging sensation, hissing out a quiet, "God damn it."

_Scratch the shit out of her_, my voice muttered irritably.

"Sorry," Tasha mumbled, giving me an apologetic look. "I wasn't paying attention."

No reprimand about cussing? Okay; it was time to step in.

I rested my paw on her arm with a sigh. "All right, Tasha: What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she answered, frowning even more than she was earlier.

I swear that I never heard "nothing" said so depressingly before. Seriously, it was bringing me down. I perked my ears and looked up at her. "Doesn't seem like 'nothing.'"

Tasha just shrugged and went back to watching the news. It wasn't all that entertaining - just something about city elections coming up in the next two weeks - but she pretended that it was the most engrossing thing in the world. She wasn't even critiquing the reporter, something she enjoyed to no end.

_If she wants to be upset, let her_, my little voice chimed in. _Why is it _your _problem?_

_It's my problem because I don't want her to be sad all day, _I answered_. That would just suck for both of us. _ I poked her with my paw. "Mom?"

I never learned why, but Tasha smiled slightly at that. "What?"

"You sure you're okay?"

She smiled more broadly, perking up for some reason. It was like she was a squirrel that someone just tossed a peanut to. "I'm sure."

Well, let it be known that I was _so_ badass that I could cheer people up just by poking them with a cat paw.

Go me!

* * *

><p><em>"The only people who say worse things about politicians than reporters do are other politicians."<em>

**Andy Rooney**

* * *

><p><em>"Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams - they all have different names, but they all contain water. Just as religions do - they all contain truths."<em>

**Muhammad Ali**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Bree<em>**

Watching Douglas write frantically before snarling out a cuss word, crumpling the paper into a ball, tossing it in the general direction of Leo and starting with a new piece of paper was getting old. However, she felt a bit proud of herself for using it to hone Leo's defense. It wasn't even hard. All he had to do was swat the little balls back towards Douglas. He hit about three for every five thrown, so he wasn't doing too badly. Occasionally, Oly would throw one at him from behind, which always caught him off guard.

Bree shook her head as one of Oly's missiles hit Leo's lower back. He would need to get his intuition up and running, so to speak.

Douglas sent another ball of paper flying across the room, which Leo smacked out of the air with a grin. On the floor, Ysthry was picking up the balls and putting them all in a pile in the corner, where they were becoming a melted pile of acidic mush from her saliva. Why she was doing it was totally unknown to Bree, but if it kept her out of the way, then so be it.

"For fuck's sake," Douglas spat, chucking another ball across the Lab that Leo missed by a few inches. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes.

"What's _your_ problem?" Oly asked while balling up some more paper.

Douglas glared at her. "Problem? There's no problem. Everything's just _great_. I'm just going to sit on the roof with a rifle and snipe Sandra's ass the next time I see her. See? Not a problem in the world."

Bree frowned. "God, don't _kill_ her."

"God has nothing to do with this," Douglas muttered bitterly. "If He did, it would probably get worse."

Leo was glaring at Oly now, waiting for her to throw the paper. "God doesn't create bad situations to hurt you," he countered. "There's always a reason for it. Maybe you'll be stronger for it or something will happen that wouldn't happen otherwise. You never know."

"How much do you actually know about God, Leo?" Douglas challenged. "Ever read the Old Testament? He's a vengeful, horrible God. He destroyed, smote, handed down plagues of death and despair if people didn't obey Him perfectly; the list is endless. God is a wicked, unforgiving bastard! _That's_ your God!"

Bree glanced back and forth between Leo and Douglas, bracing herself for the vicious rebuttal Leo would probably offer. She didn't know that he believed in God - honestly, she didn't and just assumed that he didn't, either, since he never mentioned it - but she knew that religious debates often turned nasty. _Especially_ with a speech like the one Douglas just gave.

Leo, however, just shrugged and looked at Douglas with a small smile. "Then we must have different Gods."

Douglas was quiet for several seconds, his expression thoughtful. When he finally looked ready to speak again, Mr. Davenport burst into the Lab with Yahn clinging to his shoulder. "I have it!" he declared, waving a paper around.

"An inside voice?" Bree muttered.

"No," Mr. Davenport snorted. "A way to get Adam to believe us about Sandra." He waved the paper he was holding again.

Douglas scoffed and stood up, snatching the paper away. He read it for a moment before sighing. "All right, fine," he mumbled. "This _might_ work."

"It'll work," Mr. Davenport huffed.

"If we find a reporter who'll listen," Douglas pointed out, crossing his arms.

Bree and Leo suddenly exchanged knowing looks as Mr. Davenport shot Douglas a disbelieving look. "You seriously can't think of a single reporter that would help us?"

"I don't know any reporters," Douglas responded irritably.

"Luckily, _we_ do," Leo informed Douglas with a smirk. "And something tells me that she'll listen."

* * *

><p><strong>Woo! Got a plan!<strong>

**Which means that, of course, this is wrapping up.**

**However, we still have a little ways to go, so hang tight.**

**So, until next time, feel free to review. Or don't. I don't care.**

**And, of course, enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter fourteen! Woo!**

**I would have posted it yesterday, but I wanted it to be perfect. And, after rewriting Douglas' part a couple of times – I'm still not totally happy with it – I just figured I better post it. Otherwise, I probably never would.**

**So I'd like to thank everyone who reads and reviews on the story. :3 *waves***

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** It's not that great, either.**

**gg180000:**** *Sigh* And here I was, hoping that you'd drop it and not kinda spoil this chapter for those reading the reviews. :P Oh well. Clever, clever girl.**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport:**** "You're gonna miss…well, you'll see. But it's cute! You can't leave now!"**

**DarkestKing:**** I don't think the army's gonna make a move. Their leader has gone silent, which I take as a refusal to attack. Guess the army either went soft or was scared off by your defense. :3**

**So, everybody, let's do this. Josh?**

**"****Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Wickedness never rests easily so, in a way, one might almost feel pity for the wicked, for they are destined to live their lives in fear, in a prison of the heart." _

**John Connolly,****_ The Infernals_**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_It is strange how you shall hate a man, and yet pity him from the depths." _

**Richard Llewellyn**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Tasha<em>**

In her years as a reporter, Tasha had never made waves. She never ruffled feathers, she never made problems, and she never made enemies.

In the course of that career, she had accumulated a few favors.

Honestly, she had never thought she would cash them in for something like this. Destroying the reputation of small-time politicians wasn't something she ever wanted to do. But desperate times called for desperate measures. It was how she was standing behind a cameraman rather than in front of him, watching a co-anchor of hers – Joshua Banks - standing in front of Sandra's home, waiting for her to come out.

Tasha was standing with her arms crossed, tapping her foot irritably. She wanted to throw a few more punches at Sandra, but that would only make the situation worse with Adam. Besides, Donnie was holding her shoulders to make sure she behaved herself. If she messed up, the entire plan would be ruined.

In the upstairs window of Sandra's home, a curtain shifted, indicating that she was now aware of the presence of the media outside. Tasha ground her teeth, going over the plan in her head just to make sure that it was as full-proof as it sounded.

Douglas had provided the birth certificate and the certificate of abandonment before he completely vanished while Donald had given the station every available article that he could find in which Sandra denied having children, even though she never said that out right. He even threw in the article with a picture of Adam with her. The kids would make sure that Adam watched the report by any means necessary at home.

Tasha felt herself smirk a bit. Everything was set to go off perfectly. All she had to do was sit back and watch the fun. Hopefully, everyone else was set to watch, too.

When Sandra opened the door, Josh introduced himself and started firing questions at her before she could think. If she saw Tasha or Donald at all, she didn't acknowledge it.

"Is it true that you're a mother?"

Sandra gave Josh an incredulous look. _Dang_, Sandy could act. "Absolutely not! I'm not even married!"

_Actually, she's right_, Tasha thought. _No one who treated Adam like she did could call themselves a mother._

Josh was undeterred. The microphone was back in Sandra's face almost immediately. "Who is this kid you've been spending time with? What's his name?"

Sandy was becoming visibly annoyed now. "An inner city kid named Adam that needed help."

"The same Adam as Adam Davenport, an heir to the multi-million dollar Davenport Industries?"

Sandra glared at Josh. "No."

Tasha smirked. The station editor would put up a family picture when the story aired.

"Is it true that Adam isn't an inner city kid at all?" Josh pressed. "Are the reports of him being a Davenport true?"

"No," Sandra growled.

"Is it true that Adam is, in reality, your son? Is it true that you abandoned him when he was born?"

"Absurd," Sandra scoffed. "I've never had children."

"Do you have any comments regarding the birth certificate and certificate of abandonment that you signed, both with the name 'Adam Davenport' on them?"

The blood suddenly drained from Sandra's face. "They're fake-"

"The documents have been confirmed as authentic," Josh interrupted. "Why do you not want anyone to know you have a child?"

Sandra wasn't looking at Josh or the camera anymore, though. She was glaring at Tasha and Donald. So she _did_ notice them. To be honest, the look Sandra was shooting her made Tasha a tad nauseous. There was no remorse in her eyes. No guilt or shame. Nothing that could possibly make Tasha see her in a different light. Instead, all that flashed in those brown cesspools - which, unfortunately, Adam had inherited - was rage and hatred.

Why, though? Was she mad that she had been exposed? That anyone had _dared_ to call her on everything she was trying to do? Was it because Adam was now associated with her? Was it because the world would know how much of a deadbeat she was when the story aired?

Was it for Tasha, Douglas, Donald - the Davenports in general?

Tasha desperately clung to the naïve hope that it was because Sandra knew that Adam would never want to see her again, and that Sandra was so volatile because she had lost the only contact she would ever have with her son. Tasha _wanted_ to believe that no mother could be so cruel, so _selfish_.

In the back of her mind, though, Tasha knew she was wrong. Sandra was nothing but a bar whore that Douglas had the misfortune of finding nineteen years ago. She hadn't wanted a kid then, and she didn't want one now.

Tasha had to bite back the urge to hug the woman out of pity. Sandra had every opportunity to experience the sheer joy of motherhood, but she had run at every turn. She would never know what it was like to love someone more than she loved herself, even if they messed up severely.

Finally, Sandra hissed, "No further comments." She stormed back in her home and slammed the door, ending the interview.

Tasha felt pity for Sandra again. Adam was one of the most cheerful, optimistic, creative people Tasha had ever had the privilege of knowing. He seemed to brighten any room he walked in and had a talent for diffusing volatile situations. He could take someone's bad mood and cure it almost instantly.

And Sandra would never, ever know that. Would never know what a gift her son was to the world.

It was a shame, really.

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Doubt isn't the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith." _

**Paul Tillich**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, "It might have been." _

**Kurt Vonnegut**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Adam<em>**

He had been staring at the paused security video on the Lab's computer screen for the past hour. He could see the front door about to close behind him while Chase was sitting in front of Sandra as calmly as...

Well, as calmly as a content cat.

Adam wanted to press play. The little mouse pointer was on the arrow, just waiting for Adam to actually click.

He couldn't, though. Adam sat frozen, his hand on the mouse.

_Don't be so weak,_ he huffed at himself. He had to watch the video to prove everyone wrong. He only needed to see it once. He only needed to see Chase lunge at her, and that would be all the proof he needed. Everyone would stop coddling Chase like he was the victim when it was really his fault.

But Adam still couldn't play it.

In the back of his mind rose doubt. What if _he_ was wrong? What if Sandra really _had_ attacked Chase? What if his mother really _was_ capable of such a violent act? If she was, what did that make Adam? Could he be twice as mean as Douglas could be, since he had twice the genes for it residing throughout his body?

Did genetics work like that? Because math did. So genetics had to work like that, too, right? It couldn't just ignore math.

Worse than that was that he would have to admit that he failed as a brother. He had been the one that brought Chase out to see Sandra. He was the reason she had come to the house that day at all. If she had attacked Chase, then Adam felt like it was as much his fault as hers.

Douglas _had_ warned him, after all.

So had Yahn.

Tasha even tried to tell him that she was no good.

Were they all right, or were they paranoid? Would he be wrong to listen to them, or ignore them?

So he hesitated, not wanting his world to come crashing down.

Adam debated going upstairs for a while to clear his head, but decided against it in the end. He had seen the painful-looking burns on Chase that morning, had felt his throat close at the sight. He didn't want to take the chance of seeing them again. Adam had snuck upstairs after that and located the weapon on Mr. Davenport and Tasha's dresser. The only reason he found it was that dried blood still clung to the necklace, making it stand out. He had stared at it for a long time, trying to remember if he had ever seen Tasha wear it before.

He kind of wished that he had paid more attention to her jewelry before, because he couldn't remember.

It prompted him to wait until the Lab was empty. He had discreetly uploaded the security footage from yesterday and found the time when he had been outside with Sandra and Chase.

An hour later, he was still staring at it.

Eddy popped up on the screen across the Lab. "What's _your_ problem?"

"Fuck off, Eddy," Adam muttered. He wasn't in the mood.

"Aw, is muscle man too scared of a little video?" Eddy taunted. Adam glanced at Eddy, a bit surprised. Eddy grinned at him. "_I'm_ the security system, remember? I know what footage you're looking at. What's the deal? Too much of a bitch?"

Adam ground his teeth. "Shut the hell up," he snarled. He wished that he knew where the off switch was for Eddy. He hadn't been able to find it in the new Lab.

"You know, I could just play it for you," Eddy started. "It's not –"

Adam rapidly pressed the play button with a loud snarl. He felt his split-second smug triumph fade as he was suddenly watching Sandra change. She went from the kind woman he had seen before into a violent bitch instantly, her expression twisted with disgust and hatred as she kicked Chase.

And all he was doing was standing there.

The longer Adam watched, the worse he felt. Guilt and anger rose up in him until he was shaking, his jaw aching from being clenched. They were right. Sandra had attacked Chase.

What kind of monster could attack Chase unprovoked? He was the sweetest demon alive. Except for maybe Yahn. How the hell could she even know he wasn't a cat? Adam had never said anything about demons being around the house. Why had he let her talk him into believing that Chase had attacked her first? Why hadn't he listened to anyone? They tried to warn him.

When Chase took off across the yard, yowling in pain, Adam heard a faint cracking sound. He glanced at the mouse only to find that he had crushed it subconsciously in his hand.

A breeze tore through the room, startling him. Adam jumped and glanced at the door only to see Bree standing in the tunnel. "_There _you are," she exclaimed. "There's some cute puppies on the news! You have to see them!"

Adam _did _want to see the puppies, but…. "Is anyone else up there?"

Bree shrugged. "Hellcat, Leo, Oly and Ysthry. Tasha and Mr. Davenport aren't home, and Douglas and Yahn went somewhere earlier."

He winced. "I don't want to annoy them. They probably don't want to see me. Especially Hellcat."

Bree rolled her eyes. "Come on, Adam." She zipped across the room and grabbed Adam's arm, instantly transforming everything into a blur. It was disorienting until he arrived in the living room. Bree dropped him off behind the couch, letting go of his arm and shooing Oly out of her seat. Adam was glad that Chase was his normal self now, because the clothes he was wearing hid the injuries very well.

However, Adam found himself watching something that _wasn't _about cute puppies. Rather, he was watching Sandra deny multiple times that he was her son.

What kind of mother could do that?

Adam sighed heavily. How could he have been so _stupid?_

* * *

><p><em>"...Here's to us, here's to love, all the times that we fucked up. Here's to you, fill the glass, 'cause the last few days have kicked my ass. Oh, let's give 'em hell! Wish everybody will. Here's to us..."<em>

**Halestorm, "Here's To Us"**

* * *

><p><em>"...Here's to all that we kissed, and to all that we missed. To the biggest mistakes that we just wouldn't trade. To us breaking up without us breaking down, to whatever comes our way!..."<em>

**Halestorm, "Here's To Us"**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Douglas<em>**

Even half drunk, the news story made him grin.

Honestly, no one else was even watching the news with him. Everyone was too absorbed in their dinners or drinking themselves into oblivion early. Hell, the guy beside him looked like he was trying to escape from some problem or another. He was shooting Douglas a confused look, as a matter of fact. He held tight to his glass of…whatever he was drinking…and nudged Douglas with his elbow. Great. Just fantastic. A talkative douchebag. "Why're you smiling?"

Douglas nodded towards the television. "That stupid bitch was a pain in my ass. It's satisfying to watch her eat it."

The guy chuckled a bit. "What did she do?"

Why did he have to be so damn curious? Stupid guy with his…stupid brownish-blonde hair that came down to just below his jaw and wonderful hazel eyes. Douglas shrugged. "She just refused to acknowledge that her kid was hers."

"Why would that be a pain in _your_ ass, then? Unless he's your kid, too."

_Clever guy,_ Douglas acknowledged grudgingly. Douglas took another long drink of his tequila, remaining silent. The guy seemed to get the hint, because he didn't press it. He just went back to his drink, looking a bit more depressed than he was earlier. About thirty minutes and several drinks later, Douglas found himself sighing. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but he kind of wanted to talk to someone. He nudged the man. "Yeah, he is."

The guy shot him a strange look. "I'm sorry?"

"The question you asked earlier, about why Sandra bothered me? Adam's my son." As the guy nodded, Douglas went on with a bitter laugh. "I mean, she left him on my porch like he was a piece of trash when he was a baby. And then she wants to 'know' Adam, but pulls shit like this." Douglas sighed again.

"You were married to her?"

Douglas shook his head. "Met her in a bar. The relationship lasted all of one night."

The man nodded understandingly before smiling halfway. "But you're in a bar now? Are you running from something, or hoping to get lucky again?"

Douglas rolled his eyes. Fucking smartass. Just because Douglas was hiding from the problem he had caused at home from finding Sandra in the first place didn't mean that anyone was allowed to call him on it.

Even if they were handsome as hell.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" Douglas challenged. "Trying to forget your girlfriend?"

The guy shook his head. "No, I'm gay. No girlfriends."

"Boyfriend, then," Douglas corrected himself.

"No boyfriends, either," the guy informed him.

Why that information made Douglas' heart leap was a mystery to him. However, he tried to force it down with another drink. "Then why are you here?"

The guy suddenly seemed embarrassed. He lowered his head a bit, mumbling his answer. "I'm trying to go into the convenience store near my house."

Douglas found himself shooting the guy a quizzical look. "What?"

"The store I usually go to closed an hour ago," the guy answered. "And I can't go into a convenience store sober. The…the ATM scares me too much."

Douglas let out a scoff. "_What?"_

"Robots are going to take over the world someday," he answered again, his cheeks growing redder. "And ATMs are going to lead the charge." Actual fear flashed for a bit in his gorgeous eyes – wait, not gorgeous; just eyes – for a second. "I mean, they control the money. Controlling the money is the first step in controlling everything."

Douglas let out an effeminate giggle. What a quirky guy. Normally, he wouldn't even have stayed near the guy after hearing that, but something just held him there. Call it strange, but he actually liked the guy. So, when the stranger's face fell a bit, Douglas patted his back. "I'm sorry," he chuckled. "Tell you what: We'll _both_ go to that convenience store. I'll watch the ATM while you get whatever you need."

The guy shot him a look. "Don't make fun of me."

"I'm serious," Douglas insisted. He downed the last of his tequila in one drink. "Let's go."

"But wouldn't your imp convince it to attack?" the guy asked, pointing at Douglas' jacket pocket.

"My who?" Douglas asked, feigning ignorance. Honestly, Yahn was sitting in his pocket as a hamster. He had poked his head out earlier to watch Sandra suck it, but he was curled up inside it now, sleeping.

"The gargoyle imp in your pocket," the man insisted. "I saw it earlier."

Douglas frowned and narrowed his eyes. "How?"

The guy shrugged. "I can see it. It's only a hamster on two planes."

Douglas scoffed. "You can't see planes. No one can."

The stranger shrugged again. "Then how did I know that you have an imp? It's a gray gargoyle."

Douglas nodded. Honestly, he would worry about the "how" later. "Yahn's one of the nice imps. He won't convince an ATM to attack."

The guy made a perfect "O" with his mouth, nodding like he accepted it. "So…you'll watch the ATM?"

Douglas nodded, smiling. "Totally. I won't let it get you."

The guy nodded slowly. He finished the rest of his drink and smiled shyly. "Thanks."

Douglas grinned more broadly this time. "No problem…." He trailed off, tilting his head quizzically. He didn't know this guy's name.

The guy's eyes seemed to light up slightly as he answered Douglas' unspoken question. "I'm Kevin. What's _your_ name?"

"Douglas."

Douglas felt himself shiver a bit excitedly when he heard Kevin's beautiful voice echo him. "Douglas."

* * *

><p><strong>Holy hell, did that just happen?<strong>

**Yes. Yes, it did.**

**Please keep in mind that Douglas is bisexual. If you read my profile, you'd know that. :3 If not, I kind of referenced it in ****_Halloween,_**** if you were observant.**

**Unfortunately, only a chapter or two more are left in this story, but at least Sandra's gone. So, if you want to kill her, go for it. :P She's unnecessary for the rest of this. However, she'll come back later, so have some random resurrection power in the wings if you do murder her.**

**Anyways, we'll wrap this up here. **

**Feel free to review. Or don't. Whatever floats your boat.**

**And, of course, enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen! All right!**

**Unfortunately, Kevin's probably not going to appear in Hazy again. **

**But he'll be back.**

**Just saying.**

**Anyways, before we get started, I'd like to thank me readers and reviewers for reading and reviewing. :3 (If you didn't read the last part of the sentence in an Irish or Scottish accent, I'm going to be sad.)**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport:**** "Sure, why not?"**

**gg180000:**** Fine, but take it outside. We don't need his blood everywhere.**

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** Yes. Yes, he can. And yes, here goes a gay relationship. It's happening with or without your permission. Dougie and Kevin deserve happiness, too. That, and they kind of balance each other out a bit, which will pop up later.**

**RissA15:**** Like I told Slurp, you created that hype yourself. :P Hellcat would also like me to ask you not to molest him.**

**"****And I'm not ignorant! I know what Tasha does! Doesn't mean that it crosses my mind. It's like a background fact now, especially when something shady is going on. She usually avoids it, so I just don't consider her."**

**…****Thank you, Douglas…**

**Vampire Girl****: Lol that caught fire faster than I thought it would. :P**

**So let's get to this. Hmm…Douglas?**

**"****Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_A strong gives forgiveness, but weak gives permission." _

**Santosh Kalwar****_, Quote Me Everyday_**

* * *

><p><em>"…<em>_I'm a bitch, I'm a tease, I'm a goddess on my knees. When you're hurt, when you suffer, I'm an angel under cover…"_

**Meredith Brooks, "Bitch"**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Adam<em>**

_Hey, Adam. Want to do something today?_

Adam sighed, closing Sandra's message. He had a thousand things that he wanted to tell her, but he was finding that English was a rather inadequate language. Of all the things he wanted to say, not a single one could be put into words.

Did she think that he was that stupid? Sure, he had admitted that he rarely watched the news, but she had to know that he would find out eventually.

Did she think he was naïve? Sure, he trusted too easily and often thought the best of people who continued to disappoint. And, of course, she had him fooled for a while by her charade. However, did she really think he wouldn't look into what she was saying at some point?

Did she think he was endlessly understanding? Forgiveness was something he was particularly good at. However, his capacity to forgive wasn't infinite. Especially when it came to people who targeted his family.

Even though he was usually optimistic, Adam understood that some people would never change. It was just how the world worked. It was upsetting to think that some people had the capacity for cruelty, but he grudgingly acknowledged their existence.

It took Adam a few minutes to notice that Tasha had sat down next to him on the couch, quietly reading the newspaper. To be honest, he really didn't want to talk to her at the moment. It wasn't that he was mad at her. He just felt incredibly guilty and mortified by what happened the last time he had seen Sandra. Tasha probably wouldn't want to talk to him, anyways. So, to avoid the awkward situation, Adam just watched Chase and Oly stare out the front window, both of their tails twitching impatiently.

That was another problem Adam had. He wanted to hug Yahn - it had been _days_ - and talk to Douglas about the very thing that had started the whole mess nineteen years ago: His drinking habit. The only problem was that they left together yesterday and didn't come back. Chase had noticed first after a few rounds of chess with Leo, who had decided that he liked playing the game better than trapping Oly.

More predictable.

Anyways, ten in the morning saw Chase standing at the driveway from the window. Oly had scoffed at first, but noon saw her right beside him. It was a little unnerving that Douglas had just vanished, but Adam wasn't so worried that he was standing at the window with them.

Douglas was a clever guy. He could take care of himself.

Tasha suddenly grinned. "Bree," she called, separating a section from the paper as Bree arrived in a gust of wind. Tasha offered her the paper she had separated.

Bree skimmed it for a moment before squealing happily and zipping off to wherever she had been in the first place. As the breeze died down, Adam frowned at Tasha. "What's she so excited about?"

"Today's movie schedules," Tasha answered. "She wanted to go see something with Owen."

"What movie?" Chase asked, flicking his torn ear in their direction.

"Some new horror movie or something that came out today," Tasha answered.

Adam tilted his head quizzically. "But she thinks horror movies are stupid."

"She's not going for the movie," Tasha explained, smiling a bit. "She's going because she'll get 'scared' and have to hug Owen."

"Wait, that works?" Chase asked, now looking at them.

Tasha nodded. "Oldest trick in the book."

Adam nodded slowly, mentally storing the tidbit of information away like he would die without it. He let a few moments pass before he swallowed hard. "Tasha?"

Tasha glanced at him and hummed, letting him know that she was listening.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, trying to put an hours-long conversation into those two words. If he said everything that was on his mind, they would be sitting there for a while. "I didn't mean what I said the other day."

Tasha smiled warmly at him and patted his shoulder, her eyes conveying forgiveness and affection. _Motherly_ affection. "I know."

Adam smiled, feeling like everything that needed to be said had been said in the past few seconds.

Good thing, too, because he felt that English was inadequate in that situation, as well.

English was an extremely limited language. Who the hell invented it?

Oly suddenly started jumping around, chirping – actually _chirping – _excitedly. She went from the window to the couch and back again repeatedly. "Master, Master, Master-"

"Shut up, Oly," Chase hissed, pinning his ears. He spread his dark wings to stretch them out – his wing span was massive compared to him – since he had been holding them still for a while. He usually shifted them around every once in a while to keep them loose. He must have been really focused on watching for Douglas. By the time he pulled them back in, Douglas finally walked through the door with a strangely massive smile and a somewhat distant look in his eyes.

All that ended when Oly barreled into Douglas' chest, forcing him to snap out of whatever thoughts he had been having to catch her. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Watch it, Oly," Tasha hissed.

Douglas shrugged, cradling her a bit. "I spent the night with a friend."

Adam found himself frowning as Chase perked his ears. "What friend?"

Douglas narrowed his eyes. "You don't know –"

"We're not going to get a little brother, are we?" Adam blurted out.

Douglas shook his head, smiling slightly. "No."

"Then who did you stay with?" Oly insisted, poking him in the chest. "Some stranger?"

"Not a stranger anymore," Douglas said, smiling in that distant way again.

Tasha suddenly grinned. "I know _that _look. What's her name?"

"Kevin."

Adam frowned. "Her name is Kevin?"

"_His_ name is Kevin," Douglas corrected, giving everyone a challenging look. It was like he was daring anyone to protest. "And he's very sweet, and I'm seeing him later."

"Seeing who later?" Mr. Davenport asked as he walked down the stairs, finally entering the conversation.

"His boyfriend," Chase cooed, smirking.

Mr. Davenport frowned, confused. "You're bi? When did you figure that out?"

Douglas frowned, appearing a bit annoyed. "High school."

Mr. Davenport gestured at himself. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Douglas shrugged while Oly climbed onto his shoulder. "You never bothered to ask, Don. You just assumed Chris was a girl."

Mr. Davenport nodded slowly. "Right. Sorry."

Tasha put the newspaper down on the coffee table and leaned forward, grinning still. "So, tell me all about this 'Kevin.'"

Adam stood up before both of them could get lost in gossip land. "Actually, could I talk to you first, Douglas?"

Everyone shot him a look, but Douglas nodded. "All right." He handed Oly to Chase and followed as Adam headed to the elevator, pressing the button. When the door closed them off from the rest of the family, Yahn finally poked his head out of Douglas' pocket as a mouse. Adam smiled at him, wanting to hold his friend, but he restrained himself.

He had to do something first.

Douglas yawned, rolling his weight back on one heel. He looked tired, like he had spent most of the night awake.

Actually, now that Adam was thinking about it, Douglas probably _had _been up all night doing who-knew-what.

The Lab was perfectly quiet, the most appropriate atmosphere Adam could think of for the kind of thing he was attempting. He wasn't the best at interventions, but he was going to try. Douglas sat down in the chair at the cyber desk and rubbed his eyes before he moved Yahn from his pocket and placed him on the desk. "What is it, Adam?"

Adam picked Yahn up as he changed into a gargoyle again and cradled the little imp against his chest for the first time in several days. He didn't know where to start. It wasn't helping that Douglas was watching him silently, frowning a bit. It was awkward as hell. Finally, Douglas sighed. "Adam, if you just wanted to hug Yahn, you didn't need to drag me down here to do it."

Adam glanced at Douglas, shaking his head. "No, that isn't it."

Douglas raised his eyebrow. "Then what is?"

"I don't think you should drink anymore," Adam blurted out.

Douglas chuckled a bit. "Adam, I'm not going to stop drinking."

Adam sighed. "Why not?"

"Why should I?" Douglas challenged.

Adam sat on the desk while Yahn climbed to perch on his shoulder. "Because you can't drink your problems away. Besides, it gets you in trouble."

Douglas rolled his eyes. "I get in trouble anyways. It's just more fun drunk."

"Fine," Adam hissed out between his teeth. "Then could you drink _less?"_

Douglas frowned, leaning forward a bit. "I don't drink that much."

Yahn shifted his weight a bit. "Master? Maybe you could make a deal to drink less in exchange for something?"

Adam nodded immediately. "Yeah, we could make a deal."

Douglas leaned back, lacing his fingers over his stomach and pursing his lips thoughtfully. Adam rubbed Yahn's chin while he waited for Douglas to say something. He had no idea what to expect. Douglas would probably ask for something very complicated just to ensure that he could still drink. Finally, he sighed. "How hard would it be for you to get an A in a class?"

Great. _Now_ Douglas chose to be a dad. "Hellcat couldn't save me at this point," Adam admitted. "But what about passing?"

"You're not even passing?"

"Are you really surprised?"

Douglas sighed. "Guess not."

Adam watched Douglas warily as he asked, "Why?"

Douglas sighed again. "For every C, I won't drink for a day."

Adam shook his head. "A month."

"A week," Douglas bargained. "Aren't you in nine classes? If you pass them all, that's nine weeks sober."

Fucking school. It had to be fucking school. Retaining facts had never been Adam's forte. Studying was just so _boring._ "Is there anything else I could do?"

Douglas shook his head. "It's that or nothing, Adam."

"Why do you even care if I pass?"

"Because I want to see you graduate on time," Douglas answered. "And I want to see you go to college, and get a good job that you like."

Adam bit his lip. "I don't see you pushing Bree or Hellcat to succeed."

"Hellcat's probably going to inherit Davenport Industries," Douglas pointed out. "And Bree does just fine on her own. But no one seems to think that you're actually going to graduate."

"You make cracks about my intelligence all the time," Adam huffed.

"I know," Douglas acknowledged. "You make fun of my hair. We're even. Besides, you can be clever when you want to be. I'm betting that you could pass your classes if you actually tried."

"I _do_ try," Adam protested.

"When you have as much free time as I do, you watch the security camera a lot," Douglas said. "You don't actually try. You open a book and go to sleep or find something else to do. You want me to stop drinking as much, and I want to watch you walk across the stage at some point. Pass your classes, and I'll drink less. Deal?"

Adam sighed heavily, but held his hand out. "Fine. Deal."

Douglas smiled a bit and took Adam's hand, shaking it. "Deal." He let go of Adam's hand and stood up. "Now I'm going to try to avoid Tasha so that I can take a nap."

Adam nodded. "Thanks."

Douglas waved the word away, mumbling something before he disappeared down the tunnel.

On his shoulder, Yahn smiled. "I missed you."

Adam rubbed behind Yahn's ear. "I'm sorry, buddy. I should've listened to you."

Yahn shrugged, tilting his head to let Adam scratch a larger area. "Everyone messes up, right?"

Adam nodded, smiling halfway. "Right."

Yahn shifted his weight a bit. "So, what are you going to do about Sandra? She probably won't leave you alone, you know."

"I know," Adam responded. "She apparently thinks that I haven't found out yet." He pulled out his phone and opened the message from Sandra, holding it so that Yahn could read it. "I don't know what to say to her."

Yahn shrugged. "How about 'no'?"

Adam opened his mouth to inform Yahn that that wouldn't work – 'no' wouldn't convey everything he wanted to – but found that he actually liked the idea. It was quick and easy, like getting a shot.

Yet another reason he had missed Yahn these past few days: The imp had good advice.

Within the next few minutes, Sandra had been blocked from contacting Adam in any possible way he could think of. He would have to get Mr. Davenport to block her phone number, but they had been emailing each other, anyways. It wouldn't make too much of a difference if he just sent a call or two to voice mail. He sighed a bit as he finally deleted Sandra's message, but not before responding to it in a way that he felt was almost poetic justice.

_Hey, Adam. Want to do something today?_

_No. Never again._

* * *

><p><strong>Well, I'm not wholly pleased with how that turned out, but there it is. <strong>

**Meanwhile, there's one more chapter of this. It's kind of an epilogue thing that will tie into that mysterious ending in ****_Halloween_****, so you might want to read that if you haven't already. I don't know if it's going to be posted before or after the Thanksgiving thing, though, so we'll see.**

**Until then, feel free to review. Or don't. Whatever. **

**And, of course, enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	16. Chapter 16

**Hazy 16 isn't the best chapter in the world.**

**It's more of a way to elaborate what happened in Halloween without giving it away.**

**Because it's going to be very important.**

**However, we're not going to find out each and every little thing this time. I'm sure a few people can connect the dots if you try hard enough.**

**I'd like to thank everyone who ever read and reviewed on Hazy. :3 I know that this story was slower to move than the others, but it's still here, right?**

**AllAmericanSlurp****: I could call you AAS, but that's one typo away from a problem.**

**gg180000:**** I'm getting to the hand later. :3**

**"****Hey, that's a personal question!"**

**"****Now hang on, Kev'. It might not be a sex question. Sounds like one, but it might not be."**

**Mia-Teresa-Davenport:**** "O_o Dear Lord!"**

**DarkestKing:**** "I blew up Mission Creek City Hall and the District Court House with it. I was going to take out the bank headquarters, but someone stopped me….It's a long story. I messed a lot of people up that day…."**

**As long as you try not to kill her, I guess that's all I can ask.**

**So let's get this epilogue over with. Sandra?**

**"****Zara doesn't own Lab Rats, Looney Tunes or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

><p><em>"...'Cause the joke that you laid on the bed? That was me. And I'm not gonna fade as soon as you close your eyes, and you know it..."<em>

**Alanis Morissette, "You Oughta Know"**

* * *

><p><em>"Envy, bitter envy, was permeating his soul drop by drop, like a poison that tainted all his pleasures and made his life hateful."<em>

**Guy de Maupassant, ****_Bel-Ami_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Sandra<em>**

_No_. _Never_ _again_.

That was fine. Sandra didn't care about him, anyways. Just because Adam looked like her didn't mean that she was obligated to care about him in the first place. He was just a drunken mistake. Nothing more. That jackass Douglas had seduced her, so it was _his_ fault, anyways. It was only fair that _he_ be the one who raised the burden he gave her.

Sandra ground her teeth. Douglas had been haunting her for years. It was strange. She hadn't even dated him. They were together all of one night. Maybe it was that he never wanted a relationship in the first place with her. She had pursued him for a while, but he had ignored her. The only time he ever talked to her was when she found out she was pregnant.

And even then, Douglas' focus was on Adam, not her.

It was very clear towards the end of the pregnancy that Douglas had never cared about her. He had used her for one night for his own selfish reasons. Sandra felt like she had been cheated out of her future by him. Instead of graduating college, she now had to raise a kid with someone who didn't even like her.

As selfish as it sounded, Sandra didn't want to spend her whole life with the son she never wanted and the man she _did_ want but didn't want her. If all Douglas cared about was Adam, then he could _have_ the little parasite!

_Her_ little parasite….

Despite her general resentment she felt towards Adam for bringing Douglas back right when she was about to move on, she still couldn't help but feel a bit of affection towards him. She had spent several hours in labor, after all. She had held him herself when he was just a few minutes old. He was so cute….So innocent….So little….

Sure, she had been using him to save her campaign – a campaign that was essentially destroyed after the news report – but she was surprised to find that Adam's message had upset her a bit. She had kind of liked Adam over the past few days. Next to nothing bothered him. It was uplifting, if only for a little while. Now, though, he didn't want to see her again.

Fine.

That was fine.

She didn't really blame him.

It was probably Douglas' fault. He always turned everything sour.

Or those demons running around that house.

Disgusting creatures, those things. _Especially _that one that looked like a human the first time she saw it open the door for her. It was too big to be an imp – an afrit or a djinni, most likely – and its humanistic guise didn't fool her at all. She couldn't see more than five planes, but that was all she needed to find that thing. It was only human on three planes. It wasn't human after that. Strange cat parts, wings, and fangs were disgusting enough, but it was the horrifying eyes that got to her. It was like staring into the eyes of Satan, for the love of God!

But that didn't matter. That thing hopefully died by now. Silver was a wonderful thing.

And it was just the first one. The disgusting creatures were going to be destroyed entirely, along with the morons who summoned them.

She sighed, waiting for her cue. Maybe she hadn't gotten the office of treasurer, but they had enough political power. And it wasn't like she didn't still have a job within the organization. It wasn't minor, either, no matter how small it seemed. She was transferring orders from one end of the spectrum to the other, a vital cog in the machine.

When Sandra heard the sentence she had been counting on, she started reading the paper in front of her.

_"Varmint, I'm a-gonna b-b-b-bloooow yah t'smithereenies!"_

"8-1-5-9-3-4-2-7…."

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_All I know is that you're the nicest thing I've ever seen, I wish we could see if we could be something..." _

**Kate Nash**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_When all the details fit in perfectly, something is probably wrong with the story." _

**Charles** **Baxter****_, Burning Down the House: Essays on Fiction_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Douglas<em>**

"8-1-5-9-3-4-2-7…."

Douglas scribbled the numbers down rapidly as the woman listed them off. He hadn't managed to decode anything yet, but he would. He had weeks of numbers – organized by date and time – sitting on his nightstand, growing daily ever since Halloween. Whatever Chase had meant when he said to listen to it was still unclear – and Chase wouldn't explain why he felt that it was important – but he had to be on to something.

A dead station didn't just revive itself without a reason.

A total of thirty-seven numbers were read off before the woman went off the air, leaving only the old Yosemite Sam line repeating on the station. Douglas sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, writing the date on the paper before sticking it in the pile. He didn't have time to decode it right then. He had a date in an hour.

A date. It had been years since he had last been on a date.

_Especially _a follow-up one. Usually, he would go on one date before he ended up rejected for something. It was nice to have someone who actually _wanted_ to spend time with him. It might have been that Kevin was strange himself, but whatever. Douglas had a few lovely light lavender roses that said that something might be blooming between them, and that was what mattered to him. Maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn't, but they would see where it led.

On the bed, Oly was curled up, her beak buried under her wing as she slept quietly. It was the first day that she hadn't spent glued to Chase's side since Sandra's attack a few days ago. He still hadn't been able to find out how Sandra knew that Chase was a demon – maybe she could see the planes like Kevin, too – but Chase was obviously feeling much better. He had even spent time chasing birds that morning and sitting around when his limp started acting up too much. Besides, Adam said that he sent Sandra away, so she was no longer a problem.

Douglas patted Oly as he went to his closet, hunting down a decent shirt. The imp huffed and tightened her little ball, pissed at being disturbed. Douglas rolled his eyes, smiling slightly at her. Silly imp. She was always entertaining, even if she was being annoying.

Just when Douglas was trying to decide between two shirts, his phone buzzed. He had to bite back an excited squeak as he bolted across the room and opened the text message, noting that Kevin had sent it. His heart pounded excitedly as he read it – something not quite appropriate for everyone, but sweet all the same – and he sent a response, basically shaking with joy.

He couldn't wait until later that evening.

Douglas poked Oly, waking her up. She muttered and raised her head, glaring at him. "What the hell?"

"Write the numbers that are read on this station," Douglas ordered. "Don't miss a single one."

Oly rolled her eyes, flinching a bit. "Fine."

Douglas patted her head and took both shirts to the bathroom. He would decide which one was better after his shower.

Oly, however, curled up again, keeping one ear on the repetitive station.

Technically, she followed orders. No one read numbers again. However, in her interpretation of the order, she missed something more important than the numbers themselves.

Halfway through the date, a new voice came on the air, this one male.

And he gave the key to the code.

Oly sighed, ignoring the voice. He didn't say it in numbers, so she didn't need to care.

* * *

><p><strong>…<strong>**Stupid ending, but that's all I had. **

**Kinda sad to leave Hazy on such a crappish note, but there you go.**

**At least we know who announces the numbers, right?**

**Anyways, that's that. The number stations thing is going to get bigger as we go on, but now it's just there. **

**Besides, that's part of the mystery. :3**

**So feel free to review. Or don't. Whatever.**

**And, of course, enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


End file.
